Q1: If my work has been shown in other public occasions (such as a
board game exhibition), can I submit it?
A: Entries in the WODC Contest must not have been published on any
platform (including but not limited to crowd-funding, exhibitions,
magazines, etc.) (with the exception of submissions through the Yoka
Games original board game design platform and private game testing).
Q2: After submission, do I still have an opportunity to amend my
submission?
A: You may amend or add on to your game content as long as they are
submitted before the deadline. It is important to pay attention to
the deadlines.
Q3: Which aspects of the submission are being considered in the
preliminaries and which are considered in the semi-finals?
A: In the preliminaries, the competition committee checks if the
work meets the requirements of the competition, things like if the
design is original or appeared elsewhere, whether it contains
sensitive content, and more. Following that, the submission goes
into the review phase and are screened primarily by reviewing the
contents of the rulebook. In the semi-finals, the game will be
evaluated through actual tests, including strategic, interactivity,
replay ability, substitution, balance, difficulty, operability and
fluency, and whether the submission has any unique selling points.
Finally, the finalists are selected according to the various factors
that makes up the entirety of the submission.
Q4: When my submission is in review and the reviewing committee has
a question, will they contact me?
A: Explanation of the game rules is part of the criteria for
evaluation. To ensure that evaluation is being carried out in all
equal fairness, we will not contact any designers about the rules.
If there are concerns that explanation in text may not be clear, we
recommend that you use the pictures, diagrams or specific examples.
Additionally, you may submit supplemental materials such as videos
to assist with the explanation. And of course, a TTS mod would be
very helpful. However, please ensure that the materials submitted
are relevant, and are submitted before the deadlines.
Q5: After the submission, how is the copyright of the work handled
for winning and non-winning submissions?
A: During this competition, Yoka Games has priority for commercial
cooperation with all submissions with the exception on submissions
that failed to enter the semi-finals, the licenses of these
submissions are at the designers’ disposal after the results of the
semi-finals have been announced. For all other submissions, Yoka
Games maintains the rights of first refusal for a period of 1 month
after the end of this competition, thereafter, the licenses of these
submissions will be at the designers’ disposal.
For specific cooperation matters, Yoka Games and the designers of
the entries will separately negotiate and sign a cooperation
agreement; if the participating designers and Yoka Games do not
reach an agreement more than 1 month after the end of this
competition, or if Yoka Games clearly notifies the participating
designers in writing that they waive their rights, the designer can
handle it on his own regardless of whether he wins or not.
Q6: What if I want my prototype back when the competition is over?
A: The competition committee will not take the initiative to return
the submissions, if you wish to have your prototype sent back, you
will need to contact Yoka Games with your mailing address, mobile
phone number and postage fees. The competition committee will send
your submission to the address that you have specified.
Q7: Is original art required for the submission, or may placeholder
art borrowed from online sources be used? (As previously asked by
Bruce Nettleton on BoardGameGeek)
A: While borrowed graphics are permitted, we will require each
participant to state the source of the borrowed pictorials or
images. Having said that, we strongly encourage participants to go
for submissions containing their own original artwork, this will
contribute towards the level of completion in the submission which
is a medium level factor for the WODC committee to consider.
Gameplay is the most important factor that the committee will rate,
even with borrowed graphics (please attach source acknowledgment).
In the event where the gameplay mechanics are rated similarly in
terms of points in the contest, the committee will look into the
level of completeness (including artwork). If the organizing
committee decides to sign the project to bring it commercial, we
will definitely invest quality artwork for the game, such an example
is illustrated in the transformation from the silver prize winner’s
Shan Hai Jing to Drifting Lands.
Q8: About the meet up...
A: The organizer will invite participating designers who have been
shortlisted for review, as well as well-known domestic designers,
artists, entrepreneurs, media and other diverse and professional
people to communicate and evaluate the works that have been
shortlisted offline. Offline communication activities will be held
no less than twice during the semi-finals. Specific arrangements
such as time, location, and process will be subject to corresponding
writen notices on the official website and emails. For designers who
are unable to participate in the offline exchange meeting, the
organizer will assign dedicated personnel to display and share the
relevant submissions, and provide feedback in the form of writen or
video suggestions. After the offline exchange meeting, the
shortlisted designers may make final modifications to their works,
and submit their works again before the designated deadline as
required by the competition as final review materials; if the
submissions are not resubmited, the submission will be used as final
review materials. There will be 2 meet-ups during the contest, hold
in different cities in China.
Q9: If I do not attend the meet ups, would it affect my
participation in the competition?
A: No, the meet up is run on a purely voluntary basis. If you do not
attend the meet up, we would also provide the feedback from the WODC
committee, but your submission would be introduced by our staffs.
Besides, if you do not want your submission to be used at the
offline activity, please let us know after you got our email
notification.
Q10: How to use the official forum? What should I do on the forum?
A: Our forum is free to register. You may view and send comment to
other submissions, and also can communicate with other designers and
players about board game or board game design here. But if you join
our contest and submit your game, please register and login with
your email address which you have written in your entry form. After
submiting the registration form, the entries and design descriptions
will be published in the "5th WODC Main Competition Venue" section
of the official forum of the event through topic posts within the
designated time. The title format is "Submission Track Type" + "Work
Name", and the information must be consistent with the registration
form.