SEBRAE game development contest

What is it like to win a game development award in our country?

In Brazil and around the world, game development awards are rare. It is even more challenging to receive an award with a significant prize like the one offered by SEBRAE. The prizes ranged from 80,000 for first place, 70,000 for second place, and gradually decreased to 30,000 for the tenth place. Undoubtedly, this would catch the attention of developers from all corners of our country. I heard that even big game development companies participated quietly in the competition. After all, it’s 80,000…

However, the biggest challenge and what probably discouraged most opportunistic individuals was the golden rule of this competition. The game had to be delivered complete and fully functional within a maximum timeframe of one to two months. No proposals or documents promising this and that. Unfortunately, in our country, we have a culture of “parrots,” you know? I’ve mentioned this in a previous post. It refers to those who claim they can do or know how to do something, but in reality, they don’t do anything.

Regarding the award, the prize money truly contributes to the game industry in our country. Along with the national media exposure, without false promises and with real opportunities for all participants, it encourages teams to venture into their own businesses, with or without the prize. I am extremely grateful that such a prestigious competition exists in our country.

First contest (2013)

 It was a celebration for us, but not a surprise. We put in a lot of dedication to create this game.

We won second place in the SEBRAE Entrepreneurial Game Development Contest with our game “Fazendinha de Negócio$”. As I mentioned before, being among the top 10 finalists is already a victory in itself. It’s just a matter of the final prize value. There were 365 games submitted, including entries from companies and indie game developers. We made it to the top 10, and after a tense countdown, the second-place winner was announced. I, Leonardo Amora, as the Director, Game Designer/Artist/Musician, along with Silvair Frazão as the Technical Artist/Animator and Otto Lopes as the Programmer and Technical Project.

When I designing this game, my focus was on creating something educational, yet simple and fun. One of my priorities in my games is to maintain a quick learning curve, something I learned from Nintendo and SEGA throughout my gaming life. This allows the player to immerse themselves in the game as quickly as possible.

Second contest (mid 2014)

I was once told that winning the first contest was just luck. I love a little competition, so I said to my teammates, “Let’s try our luck again,” and…

The contest grew significantly. There were 470 games submitted from all corners of the country, and the event had a top-notch presentation, complete with an “Oscar go-to” moment in the special events room at SEBRAE. The traditional countdown from 10th to 1st place wasn’t missed, and personally, I find it nerve-wracking yet immensely enjoyable. 🙂

I can only imagine how many participants there were if our team consisted of three people, and there were 470 registered teams. I know that during the awards ceremony, there were many of us among the top 10 finalists.

Once again, we secured second place. This time, we had a bit more time to develop the game compared to the first one, which we practically created in just two weeks. The “Fábrica de Chocolates” game brought together the same golden team from “Fazendinha.” I, Leonardo Amora, served as the Director, Game Designer/Artist/Musician, Silvair Frazão as the Technical Artist/Animator, and Otto Lopes as the Programmer. There was no rest; we aimed to achieve a higher quality with a fun game design.

In this adventure, Mr. Leite must deliver the correct order to Mr. Cliente in a timely manner, ensuring his trip to Switzerland to enhance his chocolatier skills.

The third contest (end of 2014)

Two contests in the same year…
Otto and I became partners in a company that I named Secret Weapon. It was a pivotal moment of growth for our company. On the other hand, our technical artist and animator, Silvair, also faced numerous challenges with his regular work in his city. Despite these difficulties, we decided to participate in the contest. Firstly, because we love the format and the motto “if you know it, do it!” And secondly, because we felt provoked by the market. It was not an ideal moment for our team, but even with personal challenges for each of us, we managed to secure the ninth place.

In this game, your task is to fulfill orders from various customers who enter your establishment. I combined elements from the classic 1983 game “Tapper” with the updated dash game styles. The gameplay involved a drag-and-drop mechanic. You would see the order displayed in a balloon above the customer’s head, mix the fruits in the blender, and throw the blended mixture onto the counter. This action would eliminate customers. However, if you took too long, the customer would move closer to the counter, becoming increasingly irritated by the delay, resulting in fewer points earned. If they reached the closest chair to the counter, it meant they were very irritated and would leave.

The fourth and fifth contest (2016)

Ultra Market:

Pizza Delivery:

This time, SEBRAE held two simultaneous contests. For those unfamiliar with the institution, SEBRAE is a large company that supports small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in our country. They provide courses and organize events like these to foster the market and assist entrepreneurs.

We were already familiar with the first contest, which focused on entrepreneurship, but the second contest on financial education took us by surprise. We had many discussions before deciding to participate in this second contest because we knew it would result in many sleepless nights. Furthermore, my partner Otto and I were alone in this endeavor, and to make matters worse, we had only two months to deliver both games. It was truly a great challenge, especially since each contest had a completely different jury with unique perspectives.

Despite all the challenges, we managed to secure third place in the entrepreneurship contest and, to our surprise, second place in the financial education contest. 😉

You may wonder why I decided to take on both contests. Well, there were rumors that my previous victories were merely luck, and this fueled my determination to prove otherwise. Additionally, there were negative comments circulating in the market, attempting to undermine our confidence. Feeling challenged, I chose to face both contests. The truth is, when you begin to achieve success, there are always people ready to criticize and doubt your abilities. The only way to silence these voices is to take action and showcase your potential!

A beautiful chapter of my life ; )