The Indie Speed Run challenges you to make a game in 48 hours

 

The rules of Indie Speed Run are simple: make a (functioning) game in two days.  Let me reiterate - The rules of Indie Speed Run are to conceive, design, code, and upload a game within a 48 hour window, by a team of up to four people. Sounds like quite a lofty goal, a feat fueled by gallons of coffee, microwavable burritos, and a dream of making a splash in the ocean of the games industry.

If said splash is big enough, you and your buddies are subjected to "a maelstrom of fame, money, and prizes that are going to magically tornado around your body"(via the contest's website).  In other words, there is plenty to be won for your collective, concentrated, creative effort.  Amateurs and pros alike are encouraged to enter the competition, and final products will be judged by a handful of the industry's finest; Minecraft's Markus "Notch" Persson, Ron Gilbert of Monkey Island fame, and infamous critic Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw will be determining which projects are the crème de la crème.

If you and three like-minded, like-talented friends have the moxy to take the challenge, you have until January 26th to enter.  If you're programming-illiterate and artistically challenged (like myself), You'll still be able to participate; the entries will be playable from January 7th-31st on The Escapist. The winners of the contest will be announced on February 5th.


source: Indie Speed Run

Zero Punctuation Weekly - 11/28

This Week, Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw lays his charming cynicism upon the newest title in the Call of Duty franchise: Black Ops II.  Enjoy his newest rant here.

Support the LA Game Space, get fantastic rewards.

Have you ever wanted to directly contribute to the future of video games? Do you feel that innovative, experimental ideas are not only what keep gaming relevant, but will save us from the monotony of the stale  AAA titles with cliche story arcs and thrice-recycled concepts? Have you ever wondered if the world would be a better place if there was a safe-haven for developers to expand on their ideas and create wonderful games without worrying about what their publishers will think?  Whether you agree to one or all of these statements, now you can finally sleep at night by funding the kickstarter for the LA Game Space: a Mecca for the future of indie games and their developers.

The bio on their kickstarter describes the LA Game Space as: "a nonprofit, interdisciplinary center for art, design, and research."  The space will be used to conduct workshops and speaker series, and to hold exhibitions and research labs, all for the sake of expanding the realm of what was thought possible in video games.  For what it is alone, it's absolutely worth donating to. However, as a future-conscious gamer, you will also receive thank you gifts for contributing a minimum of $5.
   
For said contribution, you'll receive an exclusive, brand new game developed by Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, only available as a kickstarter gift. If you decide to donate $10 more, you're generously gifted with a hefty bundle of 30 indie games, all created by developers who believe in the LA Game Space and want to see it happen.  There are other tiers that net you more great stuff, rewarding you hansomely for however much you decide to donate.

You can find LA Game Space's kickstarter here. To contribute, you can either create an account on the kickstarter website or sign in via facebook. The drive ends on December 7th, so make sure to jump on this chance. Contributing to the LA Game Space is a simple and easy way to shape the future of video games, making sure the medium remains creative, imaginative, and most importantly, fun.

       source: kickstarter