While scratch competitions boast innovation and skill enhancement, overall being the most skilled and innovative participant is not what gets you the trophy or the experience of a true scratch competitor.
While skill and experience are just as important, being authentic and creative with your work while making your game look polished under a short amount of time is what gets the judges hooked on your entry compared to the hundreds of other ones.
Here are a few simple ways you can grab the attention of the judging panel:
Creative and unique themes
When we think of coding, naturally people imagine a very tech savvy atmosphere, with wires and complex code. But scratch is different. Storytelling and knowing how to build a plot is just as important as knowing how to make a game.
If your story is boring and flat, even with the best graphics and controls the judges will not find it interesting enough to remember. Just like any other creative art project, scratch competitions require authentic ideas that you come up with and not recycled clichés.
Try to create a short yet impactful project that will make the judges ponder. It does not need to be thought-provoking or extremely philosophical; simple yet powerful is what you’re looking for.
Use of sprites
Sprites are at the core of scratch projects, and if you want to impress judges every time, the way you use sprites makes a huge difference.
- Original yet consistent: Instead of using templates or choosing from default presets, try to design your own sprites. Give them similar styles and colours to keep a consistent theme yet make them appear as your own instead of a stock model.
- Animation: Even though tiny, attention to small animation quirks go a long way in showing the judges that you put in effort and time into your project. Having smooth walk animations or subtle blinking or facial expressions go a long way in giving your sprites a personality.
- Function: Only having good looking and well animated models in your game is not enough. Incorporate your sprites into your game as actual characters no matter how small—whether as the main character or a guide, or even as a background character.
When you show your creativity in this way, the judges not only see your technical skill on how you deal with sprites but also how you incorporate your creativity into the process.
Why sound and effects matter
Imagine a game with pretty backgrounds and a good story but with no transition effects between scenes or sound effects when walking on different surfaces.
Amateur coders tend to forget subtle details such as sound and effects that contribute crucially to the overall polish of the game. Judges are always looking to see how creative you were with your work and sound and effects are one way of keeping them hooked without even them knowing consciously.
That does not mean you need to go all out with realistic sound effects with every step. Simple minimalistic noises or gentle soundtracks do wonders. Simple fade transitions between scenes tie in coherence better than an abrupt switch as well.
Depending on your time limit and how well you manage time, you can either keep it simple and easy or make it a tad bit complex and fun. Either way, sounds and video effects are a must if winning is on your mind.
Clean and simple code
Judges don’t only look at how pretty your project looks, they also judge you based on the code the game is built on.
Keep your code easy to read and as compact as you possibly can by avoiding long block chains of never-ending data. A few ways in which you can make your code cleaner and more impressive without having to shorten or change anything are:
- Names: Name your sprites and variables properly. Avoid numbering or using codes that only you will be able to understand. It saves the judges a lot of time if they know what they’re dealing with. For example, instead of naming a sprite “1” try “Main Character” and so on.
- Avoid unnecessary steps: You may be tempted to add extra code just in case but this can actually make your code appear messy and confusing. Always prioritising simplicity over complexity.
- Comments: By using Scratch’s comments feature, you can leave notes for the judges to refer to in tricky parts of your code or in case you want to explain or bookmark an important part. This makes it easier for them to sort through your code and shows them you are thoughtful.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that judges look for: clearly outlined projects with a creative backdrop. You don’t need to be a master at coding or game development to grab the judges’ attention.
Knowing what you have to do and achieving your goals within the given timeframe without bugginess is impressive enough and along with the above mentioned things in mind, even a newbie can be a winner.
You can register for the GEMA International Scratch Olympiads to test your coding skills here!