IGDA Manila’s One Year Game Challenge and the three devs who survived it

Can you develop and release a game within a year?

This was the One Year Game Challenge (1YGC) held by the International Game Development Association (IGDA) Manila chapter: to create a complete and playable game in just one year. The completed game had to be published where other people can access it before the end of the challenge in July 2014. All participants of the challenge were asked to put no less than PhP 1,000 ($22.90) on the line, in addition to development costs. If they were able to complete the challenge, the money would be returned. Otherwise, it was to be donated to IGDA Manila’s funds. Out of the 15 participants, only the following three games were finished in time.

Roll a Ball by GawaniMYD

Roll a Ball is what its title says. You roll a ball from point to point while avoiding holes. The game currently has 90 stages and is free for Android. Here’s a gameplay video:

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4gjL_zVMnk[/fve]

Radial Blur by Williard Torres

Williard Torres was a high school student when he joined the 1YGC. His entry had undergone at least three revisions in design and concepts. The final game ended up a top-down action shooter that let players pilot a spaceship through hostile airspace. According to Torres, he was limited by his artistic talent, or lack thereof, which resulted in a simple black background and geometric shapes. You can check out the game on Android here.

Gobbles by Isidor Cardenas

Gobbles: Eat and Run is an interesting 2D endless runner which was also Cardenas’ Masters Thesis in UP Manila (MS in Health Informatics) aside from being an entry to the 1YGC. You control Gobbles, an orange blob that likes to eat, and have to keep his calorie levels in check. Each piece of food you eat has a corresponding amount of calories. Once the calorie level goes too high or dips too low, Gobbles will end up dying either because it doesn’t have enough energy, or because it falls through the floor. You can play the game on Gamesprout. There is no video of the latest version of the game, but this gameplay video from an old build will give you a good idea of what it’s like:

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2YEV5uiwXo[/fve]

IGDA Manila collected a total of PhP 19,000 ($435.03) at the end of the challenge, with the biggest amount at stake being PhP 5,000 ($114.48) from two participants. One of them was able to release his game, Warrior Defense, a month after the deadline. IGDA Manila isn’t planning a repeat of the challenge, but who knows what they’ll think of next!

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UPDATE 18-08-14: The article has been updated to add the complete name Gobbles: Eat and Run, to note that the video is of an old build, and to clarify that it was a Masters Thesis.