Call for Project Abstracts: Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab Summer Program, 2011. Abstracts are due October 13th, 2010

The Lab seeks researchers who are interested in seeing their mature research put into practice as a game. In particular, we seek research which poses questions best answered through games, or innovative designs or technologies which are uniquely demonstrated in a game. Participants must be able to devote several hours a week participating in the Summer Program at the MIT Campus Lab from June 6th through August 5th, 2011.

Eligibility:
Singaporean researchers, researchers funded by GAMBIT, and researchers at MIT are all invited to apply.

What is the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab?
The Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the government of Singapore created to explore new directions for the development of games as a medium. GAMBIT sets itself apart by emphasizing the creation of video game prototypes to demonstrate our research as a complement to traditional academic publishing.

What is The GAMBIT Summer Program?
Interns from the Boston area and from Singapore collaborate on development teams each summer to create prototype games which demonstrate concepts based on accepted research topic proposals. Each team is required to create a 5-30 minute polished gameplay experience which demonstrates or explores a research topic. In addition, the game must target the production values of commercial casual games and be distributed online.

Depending on the research topic, the games created might apply some theoretical concept about design or development (e.g. new game design methods, new management methods), use a new technology that has not been used in games before, be an implementation of a specific set of innovative game mechanics (e.g. modeling a system that has not been implemented before), be an analytical tool to study players, or be an educational game to teach a topic.

Each development team will need an expert who can explain the core research and assess whether the game is effectively exploring it. Thus, research topic proposals will be required to select researchers to participate in the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab summer program for the entire duration of June to August. Researchers will be required to visit Boston for at least the first two weeks of the summer program; applicants who will be available on site for the entire 9 week program/development period at the MIT Campus will be given preference. Selected researchers are also expected to collaborate with GAMBIT towards publication of the finished product: be it in academic venues such as conference or journal submissions, or through the professional game industry via festival submissions, commercial development or licensing opportunities.

Application Process:
Download the abstract application here. Abstracts will be reviewed by the GAMBIT lab, and the applicants with the strongest proposals will be invited to work together with the GAMBIT staff to create a project proposal. Abstracts are due October 11th, 2010, with invitations to continue work on proposals going out October 25th, 2010. Final proposals will be expected by December 6th, 2010, and final selection of projects will be sent out on January 10th, 2011.

Contact akiru AT mit DOT edu with any questions or concerns.

Application Timetable & Deadlines:
Call for Abstracts: October 11th, 2010.
Written Proposals: December 6th, 2010.
Final Decisions: January 10th, 2011.