Contest Sub-forum

Why don't we have a contest sub-forum?!!? Even beyond holiday themed contests... why don't we have some good ol' fasioned "just 'cause" contests?

Example:

Make a Stealth-based RPG

---Can't use scripts. Must only use RTP. Must have play time of 20-30 minutes.

-----Must contain an original evented Lockpick or Pickpocket mini-game

Or do "mechanic" contests. Where the contest isn't based on the game... but is based on a single mechanic/system. For example, scripting/eventing a unique real-time combat system from scratch.

Just some thoughts. I think it'd be great for the community.

tl;dr

1. Why don't we have a Contest sub-forum and why don't we have more contests?

2. Is it feasible to have a "user" run contest forum... where users make, and judge, contests?

I'm all for new contests for people to have fun making games, but what I've seen the problem being too few people entering or people promising prizes that couldn't deliver.

I'm good with Mod contest development though.

Opening things up to user run contests can lead to contest saturation. Too many contests are a bad thing, because it creates contest fatigue and you end up with tons of contests, but no contestants.

I'm ok with user run contests, if those users are people I either know, and/or are vetted by people in the community as reliable and capable. Just people spamming contests (which is what happened the last time I was running a forum that didn't explicitly ban unapproved user run contests) is bad for the forum.

As for more contests, that is something we are definitely going to do. But avoiding contest fatigue is still a concern.

I remember once upon a time on VX.net...3:

Fair. Would it be reasonable to have it set up like the Tutorial forums? With Mod approval? Even if they just approve batches once a week.

True.

Yay!!

That's unfortunate. Why should anyone need a 'prize' to challenge themself? The prize, as cliche as this sounds, should be: 1) Knowing that you won 2) Having had hopefully learned something and/or honed your skills in some way.

Perhaps "Challenge" is a better word than Contest. Because "contest" usually infers that there is a winner, and a winner normally gets a prize. So maybe "Challenge" would be better suited.

I agree with you Levi.

Sadly where I used to frequent people kept asking about prizes when contests were announced. Like a page long of posts asking about it in a row before being told to knock it off.

If there are many people in this community willing to enter for the fun/experience of it; then I definitely wouldn't be against user-run contests so long as there are regulations lest something would happen like Touchfuzzy described.

What if a user can submit contests and the have to be approved ahead of time?

The pride of just knowing you won isn't incentive enough for a lot of people, especially if they realize that so-and-so won last contest and was given something free from the Degica store. The moment a prize is introduced in one contest, people expect a similar prize in every contest.