Level Up 2009 - FAQ

If you are 18 years or older, you are eligible to enter the contest. This is a worldwide contest, with some restrictions. See Official Rules.
  

When you update or modify your entry, it will need to go back through our approval process before we post it. Be patient - it will reappear after our approval!

Judges' selections will determine the ten finalists in each of the three categories: best threaded game, best game-on-the-go and best game optimized for Intel Graphics that meet the criteria of the categories based on their detailed game demo abstract, screenshots and short movies of their game demo.  For final judging, a panel of Intel and game industry judges will review finalists and grade them according to playability, originality and overall assessment of how well the game demo was done. For more details, please refer to the criteria outlined in the official rules.

 
Do I have to provide the source code for my game? Who owns the Intellectual Property (IP) for the game and the demo?

We want you to have a successful business model with your game, which is why this is a game DEMO contest. You retain all rights to your intellectual property, and you do not have to send us the source code. Finalists will assign to Intel the right to distribute their game demos -- we'll post them on the contest website, show them at trade shows, conferences, etc. These are all great ways to increase the exposure of your demo, and hopefully drive sales of your full retail product.

From July 2 to July 17, 2009, what principles will be followed to evaluate entries to determine the ten finalists in each category?

All contestants must upload detailed descriptions, screenshots and movies of their game demo to the contest website by July 1, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Daylight Time. From July 2-July 17, 2009, the judges will use the following principles to evaluate the entries and determine the ten finalists in each category.

Judges will only choose entries that have at least one submitted screenshot or movie. Judges will examine the screenshot carefully to see if it comes from a real game and is not a design mock-up.

• For Best Threaded Game entries, judges will look at the description of the entry for details on how the demo takes advantage of multiple cores.  Make sure to point out and explain any multi-core specific features and/or how your game's performance scales with more cores.  Bad example: "My game will run super fast on a multi-core computer!"  Good example: "Physics and AI work are distributed across multiple cores using data parallelism."
• For Best Game on the Go, we'll look for details on mobility features.  Again, judges will look for specific features that make your game viable for mobile platforms.  Bad example: "My game is easy to play on a laptop."  Good example: "Used the Laptop Gaming TDK to detect when the device is running on battery and announce in the game's HUD when the battery is running low."
• For Best Game on Intel® Graphics, judges look for specific details on how your game targets Intel® Graphics.  Refer to the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Developer's Guide for tips/tricks when working with Intel® Graphics.  Bad example: "My game has great graphics."  Good example: "The game makes use of the Occlusion Query feature in DirectX to reduce overdraws."

Can my group or educational class submit an entry together?

Yes, but only one person or corporate entity will be awarded prizes, for tax purposes. Plan ahead and consult a financial advisor if you require tax advice.

Full details are in the Official Rules.  Contest registration, detailed game demo abstracts, movies and screenshots are due by July 1, 2009, 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Daylight Time.  Following judging to select the finalists, finalists will need to submit an article and executable program by August 10, 2009, 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Daylight Time .
 

The chances are very good! AAA developers often have exclusive deals for distribution of their game demos, or they have an existing technology relationship with Intel which would disqualify them from the contest. We expect that the vast majority of our entries will be from small developers and student groups. Check out the winners from 2008 and the winners from 2007 for an idea of the types of games that will win.

Registered or Associate members of the Intel Partner Program are eligible to enter the contest, however if your company is a Premier or Premier Elite member, you have access to direct assistance from Intel engineers and you are not eligible to enter.  We can't directly help you compete in our own contest.

Yes! This was a common request from last year's contest. We have a Resources page which we will keep up-to-date with sample code and articles that we think might be useful for contestants. You should also bring items you’d like to discuss into the discussion forum we’ve set up especially for our contest participants. Get feedback from your peers and Intel Engineers. Also, be sure to try out the Intel® Software Development Products. We’ve provided temporary licenses for all participants.
 

Yes, the only requirement is that you have the right to distribute the finished product. If the Open Source code also requires distribution of source code, make sure you are in compliance.

Who can I contact for further questions?

Post to the contest forum, or send e-mail to us at isn.support@intel.com.

For more complete information about compiler optimizations, see our Optimization Notice.

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