The ongoing global pandemic has created a lot of free time to enjoy (or bash) all the entertainment. But for those with artistic aspirations, it's also proven to be a great time to hone one's craft. Some companies recognize this, and have been holding contests that inspire up-and-coming creatives to share their work. It's a smart idea, generating interest in the brand while giving these newbies a shot at professional recognition. A new, fascinating contest challenges artists to render Alice in Wonderland in a game development platform.
Manticore Games is looking to show off its new platform Core, which gives users thousands of assets with which to create their own games. Some might make the connection to PS4 Dreams or Xbox's Project Spark, but Core seems more ambitious. It does have that same core (heh) idea of giving aspiring game designers a huge kit of pre-rendered assets to work with, but Manticore is looking to go bigger. Rather than just try to deliver a suite of assets, the goal of Core is to allow users to "kitbash" the assets in any way they can imagine.
That's where the "Through the Looking Glass" contest comes into play. Manticore has teamed up with American McGee, creator of those creepy Alice games, to challenge artists to render a scene from the classic story within Core.
Contestants have until May 31 to submit their version of Wonderland, either McGee's scary version or the whimsical original, to Core's Discord channel. The work must be build in Core, although small touch-ups with Photoshop are allowed. Fortunately for interested artists, Core is a free download at the moment.
There will be 10 winners chosen, along with two People's Choice awards. All of the winners will get Amazon Gift Cards in varying amounts, with top prizes getting $500 and $1000. The top two winners will also get a signed piece of American McGee art and a professional portfolio review from Core's artists.
Hopefully we see many aspiring artists enter the contest. The world of American McGee's Alice is certainly unique, and gaming could use more artists with those sensibilities.
Source: Core