Anaheim, Calif. – Westwood College (www.westwood.edu) honored the winners of its 3rd Annual 2D Game Development Competition recently during an award ceremony held on the Westwood College Anaheim campus. Six awards were given to teams of students, including one in a new Most Innovative Use of Flash® category. The prize in this category includes one-on-one development time with an experienced Adobe developer and premium placement of the finished game on the Adobe® AIR ® Marketplace.
The competition features original 2D Adobe Flash games created by students from Westwood College’s Game Software Development and Game Art programs. Ten games were submitted by students in Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles and finalists and were judged by some of the interactive entertainment industry's leading experts. Judging criteria included artwork and coding, originality, game concepts, interactivity and player experience.
The games and teams taking home the top three prizes were:
- First Place - “Bio,” created by a team of four students from Westwood College Anaheim
- Second Place - “BioLancer,” created by a team of four students from Westwood College Chicago DuPage
- Third Place - “Stupid Robot,” created by a team of nine students from Westwood College Los Angeles Wilshire
The overall winning entry, “Bio,” is described by its creators as “a game developed upon the common laws of physics and the unique world of microbiology. Morph into differing states of matter and embark on a journey of microscopic proportions to rescue ‘Molly Cule’ and save your entire world - a human cell. The minuscule yet limitless environment has been invaded by hoards of bacteria led by ‘Iso Tope,’ an evil hybrid virus.” With a wide variety of designs and concepts, the judges ultimately agreed that “Bio’s” creativity, artwork and player experience stood out from the rest of the finalists.
"Games have many dimensions to them and Bio did well on all fronts," said Daniel McNeely, CEO of Armor Games and a competition judge. “Armor Games’ newest employee, Joey Betz, graduated from Westwood College. Joey is a very well-rounded individual and an amazing
programmer and I have no doubt that Westwood College played a pivotal role in Joey’s success at Armor Games.”
New to the competition this year was Adobe’s choice for the Most Innovative Use of Flash, which was awarded to “Catch a Wav,” a game developed by a team of six students from Westwood College Anaheim. As the Most Innovative Use of Flash recipient, the “Catch a Wav” team will receive one day of consulting time from an experienced Adobe Flash/Flex developer to assist them with questions, bugs and converting their game to work with the Adobe AIR runtime and run outside the Web browser. They will also receive premium placement on the Adobe AIR Marketplace for the finished AIR application.
“There are numerous talented young designers and programmers involved in this competition, but we looked at ‘Catch a Wav’ and saw a Flash-based game with a unique game mechanic in its use of the microphone,” said Danielle Deibler, senior engineering manager at Adobe. “We are excited to include ’Catch a Wav’ as an example of what can be created with the Adobe Flash Platform and are continually impressed with the level of young design and programming talent that exists at institutions like Westwood College.”
Also new to the contest this year was the Cross Platform Award. “Stupid Robot,” which was also the Third Place overall winner, was selected as the entry that would work most effectively across a variety of electronic platforms. Additionally, “BioLancer,” which also received Second Place overall, received the People’s Choice Award, which was voted on by hundreds of visitors to the Armor Games Web site. All final games were made available for public play and judging with “BioLancer” taking in the most votes.
The full list of the competition’s finalist games can be found and played on the 2D Game Development Competition.
Westwood College combined this year’s competition award ceremony with an interactive entertainment career fair that included a discussion of the casual game marketplace by several industry experts. Speakers throughout the day included: Chris Woodum, CEO of Woodum Studios; John Say, CEO of Say Design; Daniel McNeeley, CEO of Armor Games and Justin Lloyd, CEO of Infinite Monkey Factory.
About Westwood College
Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 17 campuses across the country, as well as a top-ranked online school. Westwood offers a unique hands-on, career-focused curriculum providing three-year bachelor’s degrees in-demand fields. More than 20,000 Westwood graduates have transformed their lives by obtaining the skills, tools, experience and connections necessary to achieve meaningful careers. Westwood College, including Westwood College Online, recently became a candidate for regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The colleges are currently accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) or the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).