E4.com Grand Master Flash competition:

The E4.com Grand Master Flash competition has now closed. This page is archived for reference only.

Although we reckon E4.com’s Grand Master Flash competition speaks for itself, we know that you are bound to have some questions. So we’ve tried to predict every single one of them. How have we done? Read on to find out.

I found this great game at TheBossDoesNotKnowWhatIDoAllDay.com and want to submit it. Can I?
No. Unless you created the game yourself, you can’t submit it as an entry.

No matter. I pwn Flash and made this great game, and it’s got loads of pics of the Skins cast in it. You’ll love that, won’t you?
No. Because the game has to be 100% all your own work, you can’t use any material that is the copyright of someone else. That includes photos, graphics, music, and so on. And especially pics of people off of E4.

But I got these pics off of the Internet, so it’s fair usage, right?
No, that won’t stand up in court (and we can’t afford the time off work to go to court, in any case). If you use anyone else’s material in your game, you must have their permission. Have we said that enough times yet? This also includes other people’s code, so decompiling Yeti Sports and slapping your graphics on the top is a no-no. Of course, you weren’t planning to do that, were you?

Okay, I get it. The thing is, I suck at music, so my mate said he’d do that for me. And this other one made me a way cool logo.
That’s fine ‘cos you remembered to get their permission, right? We will be checking later. Team entries are positively encouraged but, on the entry form, make sure that the named entrant is clearly labelled along with any contributors. Unfortunately, as in Highlander, there can be only one (winner), and only the first named entrant will be eligible for the prize.

But I promised them I’d split the prize…
That’s up to you. There’s only one Golden Joystick up for grabs, and one £5,000 prize.

Thing is, right, I do this for a living. Can I enter?
Yes. Whether you are an enthusiastic back-bedroom coder or an undiscovered games genius currently knocking out funky ad banners for a trendy new meeja agency, you can still enter. However, you cannot submit work from a previous professional commission.

What does that mean?
It means that if you have been paid or received a fee for any or all of the material that comprises your game, it will be disqualified.

Well, I made my game on the sly whilst I was at work, so that’s technically me “being paid”, isn’t it?
We would say that’s entirely down to you and your conscience. If you win, it would be unwise to tell your boss what you’ve been up to, though.

What about adverts?
Your game must not feature advertising or promotional links to other web sites. That includes third party ad-servers like Mochiads.

My game uses the Nonoba multi-player code. Can I enter it?
Your game must be self-contained and not include client-server APIs or third party code in order to stream or otherwise communicate content from, into or around the game. So no leader boads, no streaming video, no data capture forms, no live chat, and so on. Basically, your game should look the same when running offline as it does running online.

Actually, what about this old game I made a year ago? It’s on my hard drive somewhere…
As long as you have not published your game online before 31 July 2007, you can enter it for consideration. We want to make this an annual competition, so we have decided that the eligible period for submissions has to have a cut-off point.

Can I enter twice?
You can enter different games, yes, but don’t keep sending the same game in over and over again. We have a very impressive and experienced judging panel that will see through that little ruse.

Hey dude, I’m totally, like, in California. Can I enter your lame-ass limey competition?
Yes, you can. We are not restricting this competition to UK residents, so entries are welcome from anywhere around the world. But wash your mouth out with soap. Would you talk to your "mom" like that?

But I thought you guys at E4.com were, like, totally rebellious and cutting edge lame-ass limey mofos?
That’s as maybe, but we want games that are suitable for all audiences. If you’re not sure what that means, read the terms and conditions. But basically, don’t put anything in your game that’s obscene, offensive, indecent or otherwise likely to get you into trouble with the law, your grandma, the local vicar, or the makers of High School Musical.

Sorry. So my Zombie Babies Eye Gouging game is out?
Not necessarily. Cartoon violence is okay, but we reckon your grandma must have strange tastes in web games. All we’re asking is that you exercise bit of common sense.

No problemo, dude. I see if I get short-listed I win a seat at the Golden Joystick Awards ceremony in London, England. Will you guys be paying for my airplane, hotel and entourage?
No. The competition prize does not include travel and accommodation costs for any of the short-listed entrants, we’re afraid.

Why should I send in my game just so you guys can have free content?
We are not asking to own any of the games. In fact, we don’t mind if you host your game elsewhere, enter it into other competitions or send it to all your friends. But if you don’t enter it into our competition, your chances of winning will be dramatically reduced.

But you’ll be publishing my game on your web site as part of the competition?
Weeeeeell, maybe. The judges will see, play and consider all of the games that qualify for the competition. We may (or may not) publish a variety of the games we receive on the site, for illustrative purposes. If you want loads of people to see your entry, we recommend you publish it on your own site.

Is that what the graphical sticker symbol is for then?
Yes. All entries must display the E4.com Grand Master Flash sticker symboland a link to e4.com/joystick somewhere prominent, so that people know you have entered. The best place is probably in the loading or opening screen of your game, but it’s up to you.

I’m 15 but I’m better than any of these other lamerz. Why can’t I enter?
Sadly, because we’re asking you to grant us a non-exclusive licence to publish your game online, you lawfully must be 16 years old to do that. On the bright side, you’ve got twelve months to develop next year’s winner. And get some GCSEs.

Right, I’m all set. Is there anything else I should know?
Nope, just send in your game and entry form. But make sure you’ve filled in all the paperwork, adhered to our specs about document weight, dimensions, etc. We won’t be getting back to you if you’ve filled in the form wrong or exceeded the specified file size. Harsh but fair, we think.

I don’t want to enter the competition, I just want to vote for my favourite. How can I do that?
The short-listed entrants will be published on this site after the closing date. You will be able to view and play them right here, and vote for them on the Golden Joystick Awards site.

I am a flasher, though I have never exposed my genitals on the web. Should I send you my photo?
No. You have deliberately misunderstood the phrase Grand Master Flash for comedy purposes.