Help build a game

Those of you with a creative turn will be interested to learn that the XNA UK community is looking for concept art, music, and code for a new game.

The competition is based around an Ocean Odyssey theme, and if you are one of the lucky winners in your category you could be walking home with some serious prizes.

The three areas are Artwork, Soundtrack, and Gameplay. Deadlines for the first two are 12th June, then coders will be given the winning entries and 48 hours to turn it into a game, beginning 15th June. Judging takes place on 27th June and winners will be announced a week later.

Artists will need to create concept art with a couple of brief scene-setting paragraphs, as well as a title screen and box art. The winner of this first section will bag a copy of Microsoft Expression Studio, Windows Vista Ultimate, and have their concept art developed into a 3D model by Slide Ltd.

They'll also get the choice of either an Xbox 360, top of the range DirectX 10 graphics card, or a graphics tablet and appropriate software. Pop to the website for more detailed specifics and make sure you read the terms and conditions.

You musical types, on the other hand, will have to rustle up title screen music three minutes in length that can be played seamlessly on loop. There's also a list of game events to supply sound for, and you can opt to do as many as you like. Prizes for you lot take the shape of Vista Ultimate and a trip to Viva Pinata developer Rare, where you'll sit down with one of the composers and learn all the inside tips and tricks.

You'll also get a choice of an Xbox 360, DX10 graphics card, or some sound software and keyboard. Head to the website for specifics and don't forget those terms and conditions.

And last but not least are you coders. You're allowed to compete in teams and will have 48 hours to put together a game based on the concept artwork and soundtrack winning entries. You'll have to use the XNA Games Studio 1.0 REFRESH software to put it all together, then the most fun and original bundle will win.

Both solo-builders and each member of a team will be in line for the same prizes, which are: Vista Ultimate and Visual Studio Professional Edition. You'll then have a choice of everything else; the graphics tablet and software, sound studio and keyboard, Xbox 360, and graphics card. Make sure you head over to the site for specifics, and don't forget the terms and conditions.

Good luck.