Deadline: January 29th, 2010 – 11:59PM PST

I’m sure you’ve all been speculating about what the newest monthly contest theme was going to be. Well, here it is: Fairytale Nights. This month’s theme is more of a theme-theme as opposed to a game mechanic theme. It is a bit less conformed in terms of game mechanic structure, but it should hopefully allow those to tap into fairytale stories and reimagine them in a game setting.

Theme: Fairytale / Nursery Rhyme Game

Your game must use some kind of fairytale or nursery rhyme character as the main focus. The goal in this is to provide a very common launchpad in terms of getting over writer’s block. I also hope it will push a developer to creatively think about how to make something we all know into an actual gaming experience, without falling into the pits of what we’ve come to know as “licensed game shoddiness”. Also, it encourages people to go and read again, looking back at the things that sparked our imaginations as children.

Resources:

It is very important that you do not misinterpret this theme as remaking your favorite Disney movie or creating a Flash fighting game of all the Disney Princesses (though that would be fun to see). Many of these stories are passed down as folk tales, verbally and so on and these are the ones you should be referencing. Many stories are currently in the public domain and that is where I emphasize you to take your inspiration from.

  • Free Public Domain – Online versions of works by the Brothers Grimm as well as Hans Christian Andersen.
  • Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes – Online versions of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.
  • Fairytale Fights – Warning for violent content within. This is the game that really sparked the idea. I felt some of the ideas were executed quite well and would love to see what you can come up with.
  • Fables – One of the best comic series out there that has also used this tactic of creating a world with fairytale characters as the main protagonists and antagonists.

Rules

  • Fairytale Theme – Your game must have some kind of fairy tale character as its main focus.
  • Version Control – The game must use the Mochimedia Version Control system.
  • Distribution Enabled – We want these games to be played by everyone, so the game has to be Distribution Enabled.
  • Tag/Keyword Your Game – In order to properly find your game, you must tag it “jan2010-contest” without the quotes.

Prizes

  • Grand Prize Winner: $350
  • Runner Up: $100
  • Most Creative Use of Fairytale Character(s): $50

Deadline: January 29th, 2010 – 11:59PM PST

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to discuss the “WHY, MR. SHEN?” of it, please feel free to contact me on the forums or via e-mail.