Make It So: The Search for the Next Assistant Game Designer

Make It So: The Search for the Next Assistant Game Designer is a reality-show style competition that will award the winner a spot as an Assistant Designer position for an upcoming Second Edition virtual expansion. This year's competition is designed to be quicker, easier, more streamlined and less intrusive than last year's, as well as more educational and rewarding for the participants.

The competition opened up applications on August 22, 2011, and will accept applications until September 9, 2011. You can find a link to the application as well as details about the competition in our announcement article. Late applications are unlikely to be considered for acceptance so make sure to complete your applications prior to September 9.

This year's competition is made up of two phases of challenges leading up to The Final Challenge between two finalists. In Phase I, starting the week of September 19th, two teams of six (6) players each will work together to complete team-based challenges. Each week, the teams will be tasked with specific challenges that will test their ability to create cycles, work as a team, and will require them to demonstrate their ability and understanding of design fundamentals. Each challenge's entries will be judged both by the public and by the panel of judges.

At the conclusion of the six (6) challenges, the team with the highest combined score will advance to Phase II, and the opposing team will be eliminated.

Phase II will consist of four (4) individual challenges, in which each surviving participant will submit their own entires for each challenges. Challenges in this Phase will focus on analyizing the game state and creating cards that affect the meta game. However, each entry will be judged similarly by the public and the judges and after the challenges, the two (2) highest scoring participants will advance to the Final Challenge.

In The Final Challenge, the two remaining competitors will recruit their own design teams and lead the design of a fifteen (15) card boutique style virtual expansion. The finalists will concept, design, and develop their own expansions without restrictions and will present them both to the public and the judges. However, only one of the finalists will be declared the winner of Make it So 2011 and will join the design team as The Next Assistant Designer!