Firstly, we want to thank everybody for participating in the competition, either by entering or just commenting.

Whilst me and theraje have widely different tastes in games we did, surprisingly, come to a consensus.

Firstly though, we're going to provide a run down of all of the entries submitted and announce which ones were winners afterwards.

(In alphabetical order:)

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Editores, by cthom06
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http://forum.camendesign.com/game_idea_editores

“TheRaje: Nothing particularly original here. The premise has been done before, although I don't know of many games that strictly adhere to this particular execution. So, while there is a lot that isn't new, it's not really a direct clone of anything, either.”

“Kroc: I think there's a lot to be entertained with. The game could throw random emergencies at you to keep the game from getting too easy, like if the lions suddenly escaped and run rampant.”

“TheRaje: The ability to customize the game (adding vicious beasts mid-fight into the arena, decking-out your stadium, and so on) presents some potential for growth -- perhaps even new races of fighters could be added, as well as new beasts, items that have special abilities, and perhaps events and maybe even expanding beyond Caesar's realm.”

“Kroc: Would work well as a casual web-based game, particularly in the Zynga "Farmville" style, this would probably extend it's lifespan because otherwise I could see it running a little short when it runs out of new ideas to throw at you (Once you have the perfect stadium, then what?)”

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Ikebana, by Nikolai
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http://forum.camendesign.com/game_idea_ikebana

“Kroc: It's basically Nim with flowers, whilst the concept has been expanded, it's originality really dervies from offering a new board game style playing field for players to work on.”

“TheRaje: For multiple human players, this could be fun, but not so much against a computer (kind of like Puzzle Fighter, as the computer will invariable pull a fast one on occasion, which is aggravating). Of course, there is a good sense of strategy involved, so that's definitely a plus regardless.”

“Kroc: Hard to see it going far. It's the kind of game that would easily be lost in the wash with such a competitive market, and will be hard to keep sales strong for a long period; you'd have to be knocking out new puzzles like this every couple of weeks.”

“TheRaje: The overall pitch is reasonably clear, although there are some points which could be explained in a more straightforward manner. Still, the idea is simple enough, and the rules could conceivably clear themselves out after a few rounds of play.”

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Laws of Disaster (The), by marcus
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http://forum.camendesign.com/disaster_game

“TheRaje: I haven't heard of many games like this in that your goal is to survive a catastrophe of unknown origin and nature. Normally, you know (or at least have an idea of) what is coming at you, but not knowing when or where (or even in what form) the threat will arise is unusual.”

“Kroc: The pitch is flawed, as-is it isn't coherent and complete or clear what the goals are other than chaos and anarchy.”

“TheRaje: The game idea would be a lot more promising if the core concept were to change -- for example, instead of doing whatever it takes to survive (perhaps even at the expense of others) as a random person, you could maybe be a leader of an emergency response team, whose goal it is to order rescue workers around and save lives. Similar to giving orders to a military team, but saving lives during a disaster (I think this could work particularly well as an online game along the lines of a reverse-deathmatch).”

“Kroc: It's short, but it falls short of defining what the real purpose of the game is.”

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Minefield, by jamesmiller5
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http://forum.camendesign.com/game_idea_minefield

“Kroc: As not an owner of a smartphone, it's hard to say, but I'm sure that whilst GPS gaming existed as early back as the black-and-white Nokias, with the multimedia experience and availability of smartphones it will definitely be a hot new gaming genre.”

“TheRaje: In my mind, this is questionable. I'm not saying the playability isn't there, just that it's breaking new ground, so much so that even I have no idea how much I would enjoy it. I do certainly see that it could be popular at colleges and such venues, however.”

“Kroc: Besides the major privacy concern? Could catch on. But then when has a smartphone user ever cared about privacy? If you own one, you're already being tracked all the time anyway.”

“TheRaje: The idea and presentation are simple and clear, and convey the idea very well -- even to the point of explaining its potential market (college students).”

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Nastria, by Neolander
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http://forum.camendesign.com/game_idea_nastria

“Kroc: Of all the game pitches submitted, me and theraje are going to disagree most on this one. It's a cyberpunk RPG with a lot of detail. It's not inherently very original, but a good cyberpunk RPG hasn't been done in a long time, and a lot more originality may come out of the particular implementation.”

“TheRaje: I think the ambition of the game is grand, but I also think it gets to the point where it could squeeze the fun out of play. Having to play so many characters could very well make for a highly disjointed experience.”

“Kroc: It's a developer pipe-dream. That doesn't mean that I think it's a bad game, but within the scope of the competition it's the exact kind of project that could sink into development hell and any exec would stay clear of it. I think it appeals to a geek market that find technical implementation interesting, where your average Joe might find a lot of the AI interaction plain annoying.”

“TheRaje: The potential of this idea is astounding. There are almost no limits to what could be added, tweaked, and built into the game world. With the NPC AI characters always interacting with one another and changing the way things happen, this could very well become a "world simulator" -- literally. Of course, as long as it's more exciting than the real world, there's nothing wrong with that. The magazine-review style of the pitch is nice, but it also muddied the message. I'm split on this one -- although I could see the game idea play out in my head, I can understand why people like Kroc could be lost on the idea.”

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Opwika, by Martijn
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http://forum.camendesign.com/game_idea_opwika

“TheRaje: Karma hits home in a new way in this game, since what you do in one life could directly affect the next one you play -- which occurs in concurrence to the lives before. Karma isn't just a number that makes people like or dislike you any more.”

“Kroc: The core concept of overlapping lives is fundamental to the unique opportunities the game presents. Opens the possibility for a lot of replay value and sandbox play to explore possibilities.”

“TheRaje: With this kind of idea, potential is a bit of a charged term. It certainly has potential, but it would also take highly dedicated and skilled people to tap said potential.”

“Kroc: One of those pitches that is instantly inspiring and exciting.”

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Poker Champion? By SuitcaseMurphy
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http://forum.camendesign.com/game_idea_poker_champion_

“Kroc: It's a novel twist on the typical poker game. In fact, a massive twist. Most poker games try to angle a particular theme to make them interesting, like Poker Night at the Inventory, but it's all still just poker and once you look past the gimmick, it gets tiresome quickly. "Poker Champion?" definitely doesn't sound like that.”

“TheRaje: As a clairvoyant gambler, your job is to beat the odds without getting beaten by casino security. This is a nice new premise -- the game is easy to 'win', but sometimes winning can give you results that may be far less than desirable.”

“Kroc: I don't know how to play poker. Starting out would be frustrating. Having a game where to begin with I can basically cheat would help a lot with understanding the rules of the game, but more important the strategy of winning big and hedging bets. Unlike other poker games, this one could really help casual players understand the concept of strategical play. My only concern with gameplay is how effectively the game would be able to convey tension. Your poker-face won't work against the screen!”

“TheRaje: Instead of being strictly a poker game, perhaps other modes of gaming the system (I apologize for the groan-inducing pun) could be added, and not just in the casino. Lots of ways to go with this.”

“Kroc: The opening paragraph really spells the whole thing out in trailer fashion. Everything else is delicious garnish.”

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WINNERS
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In no order:

*Poker Champion? by SuitcaseMurphy* – We liked the strength of the story being interwoven with the gameplay and that the game bought an ironic new goal to a typical card gambling game.

*Opwika, by Martijn* – An instantly inspiring pitch. It still has a lot of particular details to be worked out, but shows a lot of potential overall.

*Minefield, by jamesmiller5* – We liked the potential for the game to interfere with the way you move around the real world and could see this really catching on in certain areas such as colleges and universities.

We felt that all the entries had real potential, so we want to thank everybody for the efforts put in with their pitches. Sorry if you didn't win this time, it's not because we think your game idea is untenable.

Could the winners please contact me by e-mail kroccamen@gmail.com I will send you a Minecraft gift code that you can either redeem yourself, or pass on to a friend.

Thanks once again for everybody who participated!