MMO TERA hit consoles earlier this year. As it is now, the game has had standard loading screens. Not that that's really an issue. Most players don't even pay attention to loading screens, using the chance to check their phones or get a snack. The developers are giving us a reason to pay attention, however, with a new contest that asks players to make the new loading screen.
Longtime TERA players are no strangers to loading screen contests, but this is the first time they've come to the console version of the game. The theme this time around is "Warrior vs. Ninja" highlighting two of the game's classes. Players who want to enter must submit their original artwork of a Warrior or Ninja, or of the two fighting one another. The deadline for the artwork is the end of Friday, September 20th to enter.
The big prize, of course, is having your artwork become the game's new loading screen. Everyone who plays on console will bear witness to your talent and skill. They'll even know it was you, because your character and server name will be displayed on the piece.
Fortunately, the TERA developers are aware that paying with exposure is a stupid idea. So the winning three entries will also be rewarded with the game's EMP currency. First place will take 10,000 EMP, second gets 5,000 EMP, and third will walk away with 2,500 EMP. The winners will be announced on September 30th.
There are a few other rules to abide by. Aside from the submission deadline and Ninja vs. Warrior theming, the artwork has to be actual original art. They specify that screenshots aren't allowed. The format has to be 1920 x 1200, 24bit RGB in .BMP, .JPG, .PNG, or .PSD. There are also more minor terms and conditions, which you'll find on the official website.
It's honestly a really neat idea for a contest, and is sure to have the community invested. It would be neat to see what loading screens people would come up with for World of Warcraft Classic. Anything would be better to look at than a server queue.