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Center for Cybersecurity Innovation & Outreach

Game Design Showcase

For the 2025 Innovate IT Game Design challenge, we are opening things up. Rather than having a specific challenge, we are treating the primary task as a showcase.

Groups will select from one of three provided themes (discussed below) and create a game based on it. At the event in April, students will share their games to fellow teams (and the public!) and talk about what they created. While the primary task is a showcase, we will provide competition that day (in the form of two real-time challenges).

Themes

For your game, you will pick from one of three themes:

  • Cybersecurity for All: Create a game capable of educating its players about some form of cybersecurity. Players should walk away from your game with a bit more knowledge and appreciation for cybersecurity.
  • Traditional Physics Don’t Apply: The normal world is boring, and we want your game to spice things up! Play around with the physics of you game and create an experience where “real world” physics aren’t perfectly applicable. Your goal should be to have fun subverting people’s expectations.
  • Symbiosis: Create a local multiplayer game where two players are forced to work together, rather than compete. This will have some fun design and control constraints for you to experiment with.

The themes are fairly general, and that’s ok! Your game should be made to meet one of the themes above. Essentially, at the showcase, it should be clear which theme inspired your game. Otherwise, we are not picky about how you go about implementing your theme.

Rules

Your game should adhere to at least one of the themes provided above. If you have questions/concerns about your game fitting in, please let Innovate-IT staff know. We are happy to help out.

You are welcome to use any game engine you prefer. Though do note that Innovate-IT staff may not be familiar with all game engines in the event that help is requested.

All assets used must be free. We do not want some teams to have unfair advantages over others.

Your game must be appropriate for audiences. Your game should be appropriate for both your age group (high school) and venue (a public event containing people of many backgrounds and beliefs). Your game is required to be appropriate for both categories. You will
be penalized or potentially disqualified/not allowed to display your game if your game is considered to be inappropriate by the judgment of a judge, the venue leader, or Innovate-IT management. If you are concerned or questioning whether a mechanic, element, or effect in your game is appropriate, please reach out to Innovate-IT staff.

Submission

You are expected to complete/submit the following by 8AM on the day of competition:

  1. Provide a working game (built) and the source files to build it. We want access to play the game, but also to see how you built/programmed it.
  2. Create a single-page quick start guide. In a single page, describe your game, how to play it, and make the theme of your game clear. Think back to the inserts in the containers for physical games years ago!
  3. Create a short, 10-20 minute marketing demo. This may be pre-recorded or done live. Show off your game, talk to us about your theme choice, your favorite parts to program, and anything you struggled with. Make us want to play your game!

Closer to competition (early April) a submission link will be provided for you to utilize.

Resources

Below are some useful resources for game design. If you’re seeking something more specific, please reach out to Innovate-IT staff.

  1. Some free tools linked in a repository.
  2. Mixamo – animations and models free to use.
  3. Open Game Art – lots of free art assets (double check licenses, though).
  4. Blender – Great open-source tool for modeling/animating.

Center for Cybersecurity Innovation & Outreach

cyio@iastate.edu

© Iowa State University of Science and Technology 2025