Frequently Asked Questions
What is GameSIG?
IEEE GameSIG is a special interest group (SIG) of the IEEE, the world's largest technical society, with over 430,000 members worldwide. The GameSIG Intercollegiate Game Showcase is one of (if not the) first collegiate video game competitions. IEEE GameSIG enthusiastically supports diversity in game development. Follow this link Event History for further details on the competition's history.
About the New Post-Graduate Division
By popular demand, we added a new division starting in 2024 that enables graduate students and those with some game industry professional experience to participate in the excitement of our event. Details are in the "Who is Eligible" section below, but the idea is simple: we now have a separately-judged division for students who previously could not compete. We recognize that some students have had contract work or internships in the past, yet are still eager to polish their skills and show them off in a competitive format. Additionally, some schools focus primarily on graduate- level work, which previously was excluded from the competition. Now these students can add that coveted "GameSIG Competitor" achievement to their resumes.
When is the 2024 Event?
The 13th Annual IEEE GameSIG Intercollegiate Computer Game Competition will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM PDT. The event opened for submissions on April 7, 2024 and closed at 11:59 PM PDT on April 14, 2024. Finalists will be announced one week before the event.
Where is the 2024 Event?
In-person presentations will take place at the Sandhu Event Center on the Chapman University campus and will also be streamed live via Twitch. Watch us here: https://www.twitch.tv/ieeegamesig2024.
Who is eligible?
Starting with our 2024 event, we have two college-level divisions: Undergraduate and Post-Graduate. Most teams come into the event at the Undergraduate level, which excludes graduate students and members with professional experience, as described below. The new Post-Graduate Division widens eligibility to include team members who are graduate students or those who have worked professionally at a game studio or publisher. Post-Graduate games will be judged separately, in order to ensure a level playing field for all competitors.
For Undergraduate Division teams, the rules require that all team members be non-professionals. In this context, "professional" means someone who has a content-related job employed at a company which is in the software industry (not just the game industry). This includes designers, programmers, level designers, artists, 3D experts and audio engineers, to name a few.
At least 2/3 of all team members must be college/university students (part-time or full-time). Graduate students are acceptable, subject to the other work experience rules defined below (i.e. a graduate student who is also being paid to teach game design would not qualify).
It's OK for Undergraduate Division students to have some industry experience. For example, students could be paid interns or part-time Q/A personnel at a game company. The point is that "students" cannot be full-time employees or have worked for extended periods in a professional capacity.
"Professional capacity" specifically means positions that contribute directly to the content of the product. This therefore excludes sales, marketing and administrative positions. Someone who was a recruiter or secretary at a game company would not be considered a "professional" under this guideline.
We will still choose ten finalists to present their games. However, these will now be split between Undergraduate and Graduate Division members. The exact number of each will depend on the quality of all submissions.
If anyone on the team does have a job of any sort in the industry, this must be disclosed on the one-pager form. Failure to disclose this information may be considered a disqualifying act. Contact Dan Frost (frost@uci.edu) before submitting your game, if you have any questions.
Note: due to facility insurance requirements, in-person attendance at this event is open only to individuals at least 18 years old. Younger individuals may still attend remotely.
How do I register?
Competitors are required to submit a brief PDF form describing their game, using a standard template available on this site (GameSIGShowcase2024SubmissionForm_B.docx), along with a brief "promotional" video (3-5 minutes in length). Submit forms to gamesigshowcase@gmail.com. The 2024 GameSIG competition opened for submissions on April 7, 2024 and will close at 11:59 PM PDT on April 14, 2024.
Spectators, family and other attendees do not need to register and do not need tickets. Just sign in to our live stream and enjoy yourself!
The advice and/or information provided by Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) at this event is not endorsed by nor should it be construed as educational/legal advice from Chapman University. This provider is not Chapman University and attendance at this event does not confer or certify any rights or privileges from Chapman University, including but not limited to, admission, enrollment, educational credit, certificate or degree.
How to contact us
For any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at: gamesigshowcase@gmail.com