Future Play has posted the results of their game exhibition and competition.

As I had hoped, the Future Play web site now contains a news item with the results of the Future Play Game Exhibition and Competition. (Here is a direct link.) The award winners were all deserving, and I want to hand out a few unofficial honorable mentions:

SUDS, by JJ Chandler and Ethan Watrall, was a nicely polished game for a handheld device that made use of the stylus. There was not a “future” category in which it fit well, but it is an excellent example of simple and elegant game design. Putting myself in the position of somebody who had never really used a PocketPC before (which took no imagination), it served to get me used to the stylus in the same way that Solitaire and Reversi were included in Windows 3.0 to help users get comfortable with using a mouse.

Guardians of Kelthas, by Steve Cornett and a whole host of other developers at Indiana University and around the world, was a visually appealing implementation of an original card game, similar to Magic: The Gathering. Despite the familiar physical gameplay mechanic, this game makes use of the platform to extend rules into the virtual realm, where cards can change dynamically. The ability to actually complete a student game with more than 30 contributors is worth a mention all by itself. There is more information about the game at the Guardians of Kelthas web site.

Ballistic, by Scott Brodie and several other members of the Spartasoft group at Michigan State University, shows original gameplay based around a physics engine to create a unique game experience. Imagine Marble Madness in a constrained area, where one controls the world instead and lets gravity move the ball(s). Several of the games at Future Play will participate in the Independent Games Festival, and this one is expected to be part of the 2006 Student Showcase.

Congratulations to all the participants.