| 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition | |
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When we announced the First Annual 8x8 Game Design Competition back on Oct. 24, 2000, none of us had any idea what to expect.
This site, along with Abstract Games magazine and the Strategy Gaming Society, thought the contest would be a good way to have fun while seeing new games that could be enjoyed by anyone anywhere.
Official rules were developed. But the real rule was simple: design a great two-player game that can be played on an 8x8 playing surface (e.g. a standard Chess or Checkers board) using pieces most people are likely to have around the house.
To say we were overwhelmed by the response would be an understatement. More than 50 games were entered into the competition, far surpassing our expectations. And we were all impressed with the quality of the submissions.
After the entry deadline passed, all of the games were sent to our panel of judges. For three months, they played game after game, evaluating them all and preparing their list of recommended finalists.
Each judge (once the winner is officially named, bios for each of the judges will be posted on this site) sent a list of up to 10 games in; the games most commonly listed were included on the list of seven finalists found below.
Breakthrough by Dan Troyka
Dominox by Torben Mogensen
Freeze by Gregory K. Van Patten
Magneton by Cerrato Luca
Robo Battle Pigs by Randy Cox
Symbio by Cameron Browne
Tumbling Down by Michael Shuck
Many more of the games submitted to the 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition will be featured on this site (and possibly also in Abstract Games and Strategist, the SGS newsletter) in the coming weeks and months.
This game has the simplest rules of the bunch -- but the strategy is quite deep.
Using dominoes was a nice touch, and the result is a unique game of tile placement.
When is getting a king bad? When you're playing Freeze -- because your kings become sitting ducks.
Magnetic forces in action. This game requires careful planning and deep thought.
Imagine Richochet Robot with lasers. An extremely creative use of the 8x8 game board.
The words "surround" and "consume" are very important in this creation themed around biological processes.
Grab control of the important stacks by placing your piece on top. But don't let your opponent capture your tallest tower.
