Microsoft today announced the Dream.Build.Play 2011 challenge for independent game developers. The contest, which is sponsored by the company, was created to try and encourage indie developers to create new and innovative games using the XNA Game Studio software.
According to an email Neowin received today, each game that is entered into the content will be judged in three different areas. Firstly how fun the game is to play, secondly how creative and unique the title is and finally how well produced the game is.
The grand prize winner will get $40,000, first prize $20,000, second prize $10,000 and finally the third prize winner will receive $5,000.
Previous winners of the Dream.Build.Play challenge have been “Beat Hazard”, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox 360 title “CarneyVale Showtime” and “Weapons of Choice. Microsoft went on to say that all three previous winners have gone on to become top sellers in the Xbox LIVE Indie Games section on the console.
Microsoft’s Mark Seminatore, Principle Development Manager in the Xbox Advanced Technology group said that “Microsoft has always valued the creativity and innovative thinking that comes from independent developers, We’ve hosted the Dream.Build.Play contest for the past five years in an effort to support and nurture that talent”
The challenge is well worth entering for wood be developers, especially as seven previous finalists went on to get Xbox LIVE Arcade contracts and have continued to do well on the Indie gaming scene.
More information on the Dream.Build.Play Challenge 2011, including all of the official rules, can be found at https://www.dreambuildplay.com. You can also follow the hashtag #dreambuildplay on twitter.