Get set for the MOTODEV Challenge

One of the more intriguing mobile game awards this year will be the MOTODEV Game Developer Challenge.

It's open to all developers as long as their game is unpublished, and will challenge them to create either a Java game for the Motorola KRZR K1 handset, or a Windows Mobile game for the MOTO Q smartphone.

First prize? A deal to get the games published by I-play.

"To my knowledge, there've been a lot of development competitions, but none of them have been based truly on the independent developer side," says Mike Breslin, VP of marketing at I-play. "This is really a grass-roots effort, and the fact that we'll actually publish the winning game is something that nobody else has done before."

Meanwhile, Motorola's Stephen McDonnell says that part of the impetus behind the competition is the fact that there are loads of talented developers out there who have problems getting their games onto the operator portals, where the vast majority of mobile game sales are still made.

"Mobile is interesting because there are lower barriers to entry to actually create the games, but the barrier is how you get your game in front of the customer," he says. "That's challenging for developers. This competition is really a chance for a developer with an awesome game to break through that barrier."

So what kind of entries are they expecting for the competition, for which Pocket Gamer's very own Chris James is one of the judges? The Challenge is open to all genres, but it seems that both Motorola and I-play are expecting entries that go beyond the standard mobile fare.

"Competitions like this are awesome," argues McDonnell. "We're going to see things that are outside the box a little bit. Sure, there'll be straight-up casual games in there, but we're probably also going to see some things that are a little bit different, and maybe use the technologies that are built into mobile phones, like the cameras, the innate connectivity, and location."

Breslin agrees, again stressing that the competition is open to all kinds of games, while predicting there'll be a fair few curveball entries.

"We'd love to see some games that are very marketable, but also to see some crazy off-the-wall ideas using some great technology and thinking," says Breslin. "Then we can work with them to make those palatable for the masses."

No Tetris knock-offs, then? He laughs. "People aren't going to make it past the first stage if they're just doing a knock-off of an existing game!"

For more info and entry instructions, check out the official website.