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The Game Design Challenge
For the last few years at the Game Developers Conference, I have moderated a panel called the Game Developers Challenge, in which I present a tough design problem to three eminent game designers. Each of them has a couple of months to prepare their concept, and then they present their idea to the audience at the session. The audience votes for the winner by applause, and I have gag gifts to give out to the contestants.

The idea of the panel is to create an event that works against the slick and polished presentations that dominate the GDC, to present game designers wrestling with raw design challenges, to give the audience some insight into the game design process, and - especially - to help everyone involved imagine game designs beyond the narrow confines of the current game industry genres.

I've had a standing room crowd for the first two years, and I look forward to many more Game Design Challenges to come. Below are PowerPoint presentations from the panelists that I have managed to acquire. They may or may not be self-explanatory from the slides alone, but they'll hopefully light a spark in your game design imagination.

NPR story about the Game Design Challenge 2005