As with last year, the June 9+10 Showcase stream will feature all the games from the ARTG/CMPM 172 Senior Capstone class, plus the games from the GDA student club.

You will need to create a project page for the Showcase. This will be how the judges and the general public can access your game. We will have already created an outline for each of your games, you just need to fill it in with the necessary information. Email gamescommunity@ucsc.edu to receive an invitation link to become an editor on WordPress.

Minimum requirements:

• Title
• Tagline
• Button(s) that link to build, itch.io page, etc.
• Images/videos showcasing your game
• A short description of your game (what it’s about, what type of game, etc)
• Section with average playtime and the specs required to play (Windows/Mac/Browser/Tabletop, Mouse & Keyboard/Controller/VR)
• BACK END: Thumbnail
• BACK END: Edit your project’s Categories metadata to add genre and specs categories
  • Spec options: Windows, Mac, Browser, Tabletop, Mouse/Keyboard, Controller, VR

Here is a tutorial video made for the Recruitment Fair, it covers most of what you will need to do (except for categories): https://drive.google.com/file/d/116ij3IN4sDA10L5tyiQJ9kGk7Q4Bjylx/view?usp=sharing

This year the Showcase stream will be 100% pre-recorded and game teams will submit videos in advance.

Here’s a basic description of a good video:

• Start with your trailer (1 min)
• A “how to play” section with narration of the basic gameplay (2-3 mins)
• Gameplay with voiceover or hosts (5-15 minutes)
• Behind the scenes and game development content – concept art, old versions, inverviews with team members – to show the story of the game’s creation

That’s the basic recipe, have fun with it and make it your own! Click on the links below to see some good examples from 2020:

• Tacti-Kidz starts with a trailer, goes into “how to play”, shows more gameplay (with players chatting), and then has individual segments from many of the game team breaking down the different aspects of development.
  
• Mobius – a short game preview with no spoilers (it’s a puzzle game), followed by a deep dive into game development showing lots of concept art, hosted by three devs in conversation, and shown on screen (not just voiceover)
• Genesis Zero – a good format for games with a lot of action: one dev controlls the live gameplay while the other host provides further explanation of gameplay, development, and asks questions about what’s happening in-game.
• Kanagarumble, a couch-coop battle game, hosted a live tournament, with two announcers both explaining the gameplay and keeping a high energy play-by-play banter going throughout.

General tips:

• Watch your audio levels – make sure the mix between all voices and game levels is balanced
• Voiceover is good and helps people stay engaged. If your game has lots of text, consider having people narrate out loud as they play (see Buds for example)
• It’s fun to hear players reacting live and making jokes as they play, but remember to address the audience watching, and explain things along the way.

Once we receive info from you on May 21 in the Showcase Info Form, we’ll build a program schedule and announce at https://gameshowcase.ucsc.edu/.

We are encouraging all teams, students, and friends to stream their game – or any games from the 2021 showcase – on their own channel during the day on July 1 in a community celebration of all our games. Then at 6pm PST, all the streamers will host our Twitch stream on their channel for the announcement of the Sammy Awards.

All the Senior Capstone games, GDA games, and games from other classes as nominated by faculty will be eligible for awards and feedback from judges.

Any UCSC student may submit their game to the official 2021 UCSC Games Showcase Collection which will be hosted on our account. Send your itch.io page to gamescommunity@ucsc.edu and we will add you to the collection!

Prospective judges can apply through this form, in which you can tell us your eligibility and computer specs.

Between the Showcase and the awards ceremony (June 11-June 25) judges will be assigned a number of games to play. After playing a game, judges will provide feedback either in a meeting with the respective team or in written form.

We will use the information that you provide in the application form to determine which games you are able to play.

You can find each game’s needed specs by checking the game’s info page.

Any game you review can be nominated for any award (check out the list here). There will be multiple winners in each category.

Our Twitch channel (twitch.tv/ucsc_games) will stream the awards ceremony on July 1 at 6pm.

Community Stream Day is an opportunity for student games to be streamed outside of UCSC’s Twitch account. It will take place from 12-6pm on July 1, just before the awards ceremony.

Anyone can stream! Game teams’ “official” channels, friends, fans, pro streamers, you name it.

You can find the full list of this year’s games here.

You can write to us! Email gamescommunity@ucsc.edu.

The UCSC Twitch account will stream the awards ceremony from 6-7pm on July 1 – you can host our channel on your channel, or do live commentary.

twitch.tv/ucsc_games

#SlugShow2021

Email gamescommunity@ucsc.edu so we can add you to the list of featured streams!