WASHINGTON, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Interservice/Industry Training Simulation & Education Conference (I/ITSEC) Serious Games Showcase & Challenge has opened its call for Serious Games concept summary submission. The Challenge is open to all gaming design contestants and students and small businesses are especially encouraged to submit.

The goal of the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge is to identify innovative game-based solutions to training problems that impact people and systems today and in the future. While the Challenge has traditionally focused on military training needs, this year the Challenge is broadening their guidelines and games can be focused on any genre, such as business, education or government. The entries will be judged by representatives in leading gaming, academic, military and industry companies.

By being open to student developers as well as businesses, the Serious Games Challenge and Showcase concept is in direct alignment with the recent push by the U.S. Department of Commerce to combat declining interest in science and engineering among young people.

"The Challenge is a great opportunity for students, individuals, and small and large business game developers to get their work in front of some of the best gaming companies in the world, and to possibly introduce the next generation of training and simulation gaming," said June Taylor, Director, 677 Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and Lead Service Executive of I/ITSEC 2007. "Serious games are an often overlooked yet vital training tool for many industries, especially healthcare, military and emergency responders."

Game concept summaries for entries are due by May 31st, and the actual Serious Games entries are due August 31st. Winners will be announced during the I/ITSEC Conference November 26-29, 2007.

For more details and entry guidelines, please visit the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge website at www.sgschallenge.com.

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc. 05/17/2007
CONTACT: Juliana Slye, +1-415-507-8813, or juliana.slye@autodesk.com, or
Jennifer Tumminio, +1-202-828-9707, or jen.tumminio@fleishman.com
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com
(ADSK)


7572 05/17/2007 12:15 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com