This year I got to help judge the games for the Worldwide Imagine Cup Game Design competition. Andrew Parsons, WW Game Design Captain, has done a great series about all the games that made it to Round 2. You can find the 10-part 2011 Game Design Competitor Showcase on his blog or by clicking here. (To see all the Game Design Finalists that will be competing in New York, check out these posts.)

Game Name: FireFighters
Team Name: Wicked Team
Country: Czech Republic
Screenshots: Imagine Cup 2011 Game Design Competitor Showcase Part 10

I L-O-V-E the graphics in this game! They are high quality and gorgeous. The tutorial level was really helpful and gave you paper trees to practice with. There’s a lot of good information within the game about fires, but it’s quite a bit for a user to read at once. I’m hoping they can pick out some key facts & tips and show them when you’re learning new firefighting techniques or when you’ve leveled up. Information is great, but making sure that it’s actually getting to the user and not overwhelming him/her is important too.

Game Name: Cohesion
Team Name: Team Cohesion
Country: Netherlands
Screenshots: Imagine Cup 2011 Game Design Competitor Showcase Part 9

I really like that Team Cohesion made a game trailer for their submission. Again, great graphics! One of the great features of this game is that it supports multiplayer and relies on your ability to work as a team. I hope they release this game because I would definitely download it and play it! They say that there’s the possibility of a Windows Phone 7 version of the game and I’m certainly looking forward to it! Check out Some GameStudio’s YouTube channel for a game play video.

Game Name: BioJam
Team Name: Team Nucleus
Country: US
Screenshots:   Imagine Cup 2011 Game Design Competitor Showcase Part 9

Of all the games that I saw, I thought BioJam had the some of the greatest potential for future development. Getting students interested in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) subjects is one of my passions and anything that makes STEM subjects more appealing for students is fantastic in my book! Not only do I hope to see this game go multi-device (think phone, tablet, Microsoft Surface), but I’m also hoping they create more modules to make some of the drier areas of science fun. I can see a notebook for chemistry, physics, anatomy, computer science and eventually other typical subjects like English and history. Since the game takes place in a notebook, it might also be neat to see some OneNote integration. I’m really excited about this game and I hope they continue to improve it and enter it again next year!

Game Name: Nodes
Team Name: How We Met Your Phone
Country: Poland
Screenshots: Imagine Cup 2011 Game Design Competitor Showcase Part 5

Anyone who likes funny things should be hooked right away by this team’s name. For everyone else, you can get hooked on the game itself. I really enjoyed this game, nice interface and nice game play. I found this game very addicting and found myself playing until I lost a level three times in a row before I realized how much time had passed.

Game Name: Brainergy
Team Name: Geekologic
Country: France
Screenshots: Imagine Cup 2011 Game Design Competitor Showcase Part 4

If there is one game I want on my phone N-O-W, it’s Brainergy. SERIOUSLY. This game is exactly the kind of game I love to play! Puzzle-based, fun, colorful and it makes me feel smart when I complete a level. Here’s a short letter from me to Geekologic:

Dear Geekologic,

Please continue to develop Brainergy and put in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. PLEASE! I will bake you cookies and send them to you.

<3, Ed

The idea of the game is fantastic and so well-executed. Sustainable energy is not only a green practice for the environment, but I think it can be extremely profitable. The way Geekologic is helping people become aware of sustainable energy practices is great!