What are the Rule Changes for the 2021 Challenge?

Each year, following the awards ceremony at I/ITSEC, the IPT committee gets together to discuss the successes and areas of growth for the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge, as as well top level suggestions to prepare discussions for when the team meets again in January to kick off the following year.

This year, our rules committee spent some time revisiting feedback from last year’s committee, evaluators, sponsors, and yes, those who are creating and submitting the games, and we’ve highlighted a few of these anticipated changes for you. Be sure to visit our website to read about what you can expect with regard to submission procedures, video demonstrations, and I/ITSEC attendance. Check out the Official SGS&C Rules for 2021.

Here, we share some anticipated changes for this year’s event.

1. We’ve simplified submission procedures! We are returning to our original singular submission form, eliminating the separate intent-to-submit form.
2. There is an enhanced role for video-captured demo of gameplay. The SGS&C has always required a gameplay video to be submitted with each application, because it is viewed as a component of evaluating the game to help ensure no features are missed during live play sessions. Then, for games that advance as finalists, footage is sampled and compiled for all finalist games to provide a video for the booth and other promotional purposes. While we have always considered it critical that all games submitted are vetted through appropriate play time to support evaluation and voting by our organizing committee and evaluators, this year we may have challenges accessing / supporting full gameplay reviews for some games by remote committee members or evaluators, i.e., mobile games for a specific device, XR submissions, etc. In cases where live game play review is a challenge, the video will be reviewed by any members unable to access and play the game.
3. We are temporarily suspending the requirement to be present-to-win. We are preparing for an in-person event as part of I/ITSEC 2021, however for this year, understand that some finalists may feel uncomfortable or may be under restrictions preventing travel. Finalist games will be invited but are not required to send a representative to staff the exhibit on the show floor. For 2021, all finalists will be eligible for awards regardless of in-person support. It is unlikely that remote participation will be possible. Any finalist games that do not send a representative will have the ability to provide a looping gameplay video for display at the exhibit.

For the 2021 challenge we will award games in the following categories: Best Government Developed, Best Student Developed, Best Business Developed, People’s Choice, Innovation Award, and Best XR game. Check sgschallenge.com for updates, the official timeline, submission material access (once live), and an archive of past finalist game information for reference.

Submissions will open mid-summer and we can’t wait to see what you do!