2013 Life.Love.
Game Design Challenge

Challenge:
Can u create a video game about
teen dating violence
. . . without using violence ???
You have until June 1st, 2013 to show us that you can.

How to Enter:

Read the RULES.
REGISTER online.
ADD Jennifer Ann's Group's Google+ page for updates.
SUBMIT your entry by June 1, 2013.

2013 Sponsors

Digitalmill, Inc.*

Games for Health Project

Kognito Interactive

Schell Games

Mary-Ann Liebert Publishing

Child's Play Charity

* Made possible by the Dewey Winburne Community Service Award from SxSW Interactive

2013 Judges



Leigh Alexander is editor at large at industry news site Gamasutra, and is a regular columnist for Edge magazine, Vice Creators' Project, and Kotaku. She currently contributes features and cultural commentary on online culture and the interactive entertainment landscape to outlets including Polygon, Boing Boing and numerous others, and blogs infrequently at Sexy Videogameland.	Dr. Erica Bowen is a Registered Forensic Psychologist with the Health Professions Council, a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and Reader in the Psychology of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) at Coventry University. Dr. Bowen is also the director of the Violence and Interpersonal Aggression (VIA) research group and the academic lead on the EU Daphne funded project "Changing Attitudes to Violence in Adolescence" (CAVA) which has developed "Green Acres High School," a video game used as part of a classroom curriculum to prevent violence in teenage relationships.

Simon Carless is an EVP at UBM Tech, overseeing the Game Developers Conferences in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Germany, and China. He also oversees the double Webby award-winning Gamasutra website, and the Black Hat information security conferences. He has previously worked as a lead game designer at Kuju Entertainment, Eidos Interactive and Atari.	Brian Crecente is a journalist and columnist, a founding editor and the News Editor for Polygon, he also writes Good Game, a weekly column internationally syndicated by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. The former Editor-In-Chief of Kotaku, Crecente was educated at the University of Maryland, College Park. He began his career as a journalist with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He covered crime and public safety for daily newspapers in Texas, Florida, and Colorado for 12 years before starting his career as a video game journalist. Crecente was named one of the 20 most influential people in the video game industry over the past 20 years by GamePro in 2009 and one of gaming's Top 50 journalists by Edge in 2006. He was featured in a 5280 biography. He has spoken at the Smithsonian, GDC, PAX and UCLA. Crecente is married and has one child. He is Jennifer Ann Crecente's uncle.

Drew Crecente is founder and executive director of Jennifer Ann's Group. He is also the founder of L.I.V.E, an organization focusing on the impact of IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) on the practice of Law, and speaks about IPV, teen dating violence, and the use of video games for social change. His speaking engagements include the National Youth at Risk Conference, the Global Humanitarian Summit, Games for Health, and Games for Health Europe conferences. His efforts through Jennifer Ann's Group have been covered by NPR, HLN, Newsweek, APA Monitor, Gamasutra, and Wired. He is Jennifer Ann Crecente's father.	Jane McGonigal, PhD is the New York Times bestselling author of Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - and the inventor and co-founder of SuperBetter, a game that has helped more than 200,000 players tackle real-life health challenges such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and traumatic brain injury. She has created and deployed award-winning games, sports, and secret missions in more than 30 countries on six continents. Some of the accolades she has received: "Top 100 Creative People in Business" (Fast Company), "20 Most Inspiring Women in the World" (Oprah Winfrey for O Magazine), "Top 35 innovators changing the world through technology" (MIT Technology Review), "Top 10 Innovators to Watch" (Business Week), and "Top 20 Breakthrough Ideas" (Harvard Business Review).

Dr. Elizabeth L. Richeson is a Psychologist in El Paso, Texas, the head of the Advisory Board for Jennifer Ann's Group, and former president of the Texas Psychological Foundation. She is an expert on teen dating violence, appears regularly on news and talk shows, and lectures nationwide on a variety of issues related to teenagers, young adults, and relationships. She is Jennifer Ann Crecente's grandmother.	Ben Sawyer is the co-founder of Digitalmill, a games consulting firm based in Portland, Maine. Since beginning his career in game development over ten years ago, he has pioneered major initiatives in the field of serious games and has become a nationally recognized leader within the games community. He is the co-founder of the Serious Games Initiative, a project of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and also co-founder of the Games for Health project which connects health professionals, researchers, and game developers in order to advance the development of health games and game technologies. The Games for Health project receives major funding from the Pioneer Portfolio, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Jo Sharpen is the manager of the Children and Young People's Project at AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) in the U.K. and wrote the national U.K. toolkit on children, young people and domestic violence for practitioners, Improving Safety, Reducing Harm, published by the Department of Health in 2009. She has also written numerous policy briefings, guidance and training packages on violence against women and girls; currently she is writing a book on domestic violence in teenage relationships.	Elin Stebbins Waldal is a speaker; the award-winning author of Tornado Warning, A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence And Its Effect On A Woman's Life; and the founder of Girls kNOw More, an organization whose mission is to help build confidence in middle-school-age girls. She lives in Southern California with her husband, three children, and their family dog.

FAQ

PRIZES

RULES

Video Game Design Contest FAQ

What are the important dates for the video game design contest?

Contest begins: February 15, 2013.
Entry deadline: June 1, 2013.
Winners announced at the 9th annual Games for Health Conference in Boston: June 26 - 28, 2013.

Who is eligible to compete?
At the time of entry you must be 13 years of age or older (void where prohibited). Officers, employees, and immediate family members of Jennifer Ann's Group are prohibited from entering the video game design contest.

What technical requirements are there for the game?
All games must be designed and able to play using either Android 4.x or iOS 6.x.

Judges include:

Leigh Alexander, Gamasutra
Dr. Erica Bowen, Coventry University
Simon Carless, EVP, UBM Techweb's Game Network
Brian Crecente, News Editor, Polygon
Drew Crecente, Founder, Jennifer Ann's Group
Jane McGonigal, PhD, Director of Game Research and Development, Institute for the Future
Dr. E. L. Richeson, Clinical Psychologist
Ben Sawyer, Co-founder Games for Health Project
Jo Sharpen, Manager, Children and Young People's Project at AVA
Elin Stebbins Waldal, Author, Tornado Warning, A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence And its Effect on a Woman's Life

Can I enter more than once?
Sorry, but no. Make sure and enter your best game because you only get one chance to enter each year!

What criteria will be used for judging?
All games will be reviewed to ensure that they meet all contest requirements. Remember, the game must not involve any on-screen violence!

Three (3) winning entries will then be chosen based on the following weighted criteria. (One (1) winning entry will be randomly drawn from the remaining non-winning entries for the "door prize" of $100.)

Education (40%)

The following are examples of educational value. How effective is the game at:

increasing awareness about dating violence?
communicating the prevalence of dating violence among non-married 11 through 24 year olds?
providing examples of potentially abusive behavior?
suggesting safety plans?
offering advice to friends and family?

Entertainment (total of 60%)

Playability (20%)

Re-Playability (15%)

Ease of understanding game rules (5%)

Innovative approach to game play design (10%)

Graphics and music (10%)

What is the deadline to enter?
All entries must be received electronically by 11:59PM (Eastern), June 1st, 2013.

Where can I learn more about Teen Dating Violence and discuss the contest?
Jennifer Ann's Group's Google+ page will keep you up to date on the latest news about the contest. Be sure to also check out our online resources about teen dating violence. Here are some links to more sites with info about dating violence.

You may also want to play the winning video games from previous years:

How do I enter?

Sign up via our 2013 game design challenge registration form.
Follow Jennifer Ann's Group's Google+ page for up-to-date information about the contest.
After registering, all entrants will receive a 400 x 200 image identifying Jennifer Ann's Group as the sponsor of the contest. This image must be placed on the game entry's splash screen with a link to Jennifer Ann's Group's video game page. [http://JenniferAnn.org/games.htm]

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Prizes

First Place: ~~$5,000~~ $6,000
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $250

Door Prize (selected at random from the non-winning entries): $100

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Official Rules

All entrants must be 13 years of age at the time of entry.

Employees and representatives of Jennifer Ann's Group or any other sponsoring organizations are not eligible.

Entries can only contain graphics or audio that the entrants have rights to use (e.g. works in the public domain; original creation by the entrant; rights granted by the rights owner).

Entries cannot contain on-screen violent content or have a pervasive theme of violence and should be age-appropriate for ages 13 and up.

Entries must be functionally error-free and ready to run "as-is."

Entries cannot include branding for third-party organizations (text acknowledgements are acceptable). Jennifer Ann's Group will supply a 400x200 image that identifies them as the sponsor - this image will be placed on the entry's splash screen with a hyperlink to Jennifer Ann's Group's website at JenniferAnn.org/games.

Entries must be playable using either:
— Android 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich)
— iOS 6.x
— or HTML5 running in browsers compliant with these operating systems.

Jennifer Ann's Group and any other entity associated with this contest are not responsible for any lost or misdirected entries. All entries must be received by June 1, 2013 at 11:59PM (Eastern).

As a condition of receiving their prize, winning entrants must assign non-exclusive, licensable but non-assignable rights to compiled, object, and source code, necessary media files and associated intellectual property rights of their winning entry to Jennifer Ann's Group for republishing, promotion, and internal use rights. The winning entrants will electronically provide these necessary rights and assets to be declared a winner and to facilitate Jennifer Ann Group's rights to publish, promote, and utilize their entry to promote and prevent Teen Dating Violence world wide.

Winner Selection: Finalists will be chosen by the Selection Committee that will be comprised of a group of Video Game experts and Teen Dating Violence experts. Finalist selection will be based on the scoring criteria as set forth in the Scoring Criteria section (subject to change with public notice). Of the three finalists, one will be chosen by the Selection Committee as the First Place Prize Winner; one will be chosen as the Second Place Prize Winner; and one will be chosen as the Third Place Prize Winner. A "door prize" winner will then be randomly selected from those entries not chosen as winning entries.

Scoring Criteria:

Education (total of 40 pts)

The following are examples of educational value. How effective is the game at:

increasing awareness about dating violence?
communicating the prevalence of dating violence among non-married 11 through 24 year olds?
providing examples of potentially abusive behavior?
suggesting safety plans?
offering advice to friends and family?

Entertainment (total of 60 pts)

Playability (20 pts)
Re-Playability (15 pts)
Ease of understanding game rules (5 pts)
Innovative approach to game play design (10 pts)
Graphics and music (10 pts)

BONUS (up to 20 pts):

Interaction: up to 20 BONUS points will be added for the use of interactive elements (e.g. GPS; camera; motion sensors; voice; etc)

In the event of a tie the game with the higher Education score will be declared the winning entry.

Prizes: The First Place Winner will receive ~~$5,000~~ $6,000 ("First Place Prize"). The Second Place Winner will receive $500 ("Second Place Prize"). The Third Place Winner will receive $250 ("Third Place Prize"). The "door prize" winner will receive the prize of $100. Entrants are responsible for any federal, state, and local tax consequences and for compliance with all governmental reporting and payment requirements. Winning funds will be sent in U.S. Dollars via cashier's check or via PayPal (at the option of the winners); please note that winners will be responsible for any fees assessed by PayPal if they prefer to receive their winnings via PayPal (there is no cost associated with receiving winnings via cashier's check). All entries must declare one recipient for funds in the registration process. Jennifer Ann's Group is not responsible for any prize rights that are claimed by those not listed as a recipient of funds during registration.

General Rules: Prize winners will be required to sign and complete an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release (where legally permissible) and return the signed documents within ten (10) days of receipt of attempted delivery, otherwise the Entrant may be forfeited and the Entrant with the next highest score will be selected.

In the event that a prize winner is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will instead have to sign the Affidavit of Eligibility and the Liability and Publicity Release (where legally permissible). The prize winners will also electronically provide all source files and components necessary to re-create the winning game on another platform (e.g. tablet or phone) if Jennifer Ann's Group so decides. In addition, the prize winners give Jennifer Ann's Group the right to the Entrant's name, voice, picture, portrait and likeness for advertising and promotion purposes without further compensation, where permitted by law. These Official Rules and all matters related to the Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

Limitation of liability:
The organization and its directors, officers, shareholders, employees, sponsors, affiliated partners, and promoting organizations involved in this contest shall have no liability and shall be held harmless by entrant, and any team members of entrant, for any damage, loss, or liability to person or property, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, by reason of entering the contest, the acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize, or while preparing for, participating in, and/or, traveling to and from any contest-related activity.

Any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event, attorney's fees. Jennifer Ann's Group and its promotion and advertising agencies are not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, fraud, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions, whether caused by Jennifer Ann's Group, users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest.

Tampering:
If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other cause beyond the control of Jennifer Ann's Group that corrupts, impairs or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Jennifer Ann's Group reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend the Contest and/or prizes.

Jennifer Ann's Group reserves the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with or in any way corrupts the entry process. Jennifer Ann's Group may prohibit an Entrant from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in Jennifer Ann's Group's sole discretion, they determine that said Entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrants or Jennifer Ann's Group's representatives.

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2013 Life.Love. Game Design Challenge

How to Enter:

2013 Life.Love.
Game Design Challenge