Imagine Cup (first prize is $25k)

[AndrewAPrice]

Does anybody want to enter the Imagine Cup '09 with me? First prize is $25,000, and Software Design finalists get a trip to Cairo, Egypt.

The Software Design or Game Development fields seem interesting the two most interesting to me. Yet, the first prototype for Game Development is due in only 8 days!

This is what the winners did last year: http://apcmag.com/imagine_cups_surprise ... armers.htm

The theme for this year is based around the UN Millennium Goals.

I thought of a cool idea for a game (it actually started out as a way for governments to monitor food supplies but turned into a simulator then into a game). You're part of the government that manages the nation's food supply in a strategy style game, the object of the game is to reach target milesones before certain dates (under pressure from the UN) and eventually reach first-world status. Variables come into play, like preparing for weather patterns since you know they're going to affect yield in certain areas, how much food an area needs based on it's social class, and a transportation/technology costs. You have to continually fight corruption in the government (to stop them taking too much food) since it lowers the trust in the people which results in them stealing food and mass food shortages. You can set up an import/export trade to deal with food surplus and shortages.

When food isn't available a famine occurs, and the economy, living standards, and life expectancy fall, and corruption rises, eventually reaching Game Over if it becomes impossible to recover from it to reach the next UN milestone. It'll be more edutaining simulator, teaching people about food management, since tomorrow's generation of leaders will be today's youth.

[pcmattman]

Sounds *very* interesting, and I'm actually in Brisbane as well...

[earlz]

sounds like a good strategy game idea.... I would just try to be sure its considerably realistic(though, not so realistic it's not fun/impossible to win)

[thepowersgang]

The competition sounds interesting and I like your game idea, but I can't help out because I'm trying to get my self sorted out at uni. I hope you win though.

[iammisc]

I would like to enter a competition like this but apparently you have to use Microsoft technologies and while I'm in no way opposed to using Microsoft technologies, I simply don't have much experience with them.