Microsoft challenges Pinoy developers with Windows Phone 7 Game Olympics

MANILA, Philippines - Microsoft and the Mobile Developers Group of the Philippines recently held the Windows Phone 7 (WP7) Game Olympics 2011, allowing them to unleash their passion in creating innovative mobile games using XNA Game Studio 4.0 and share their talents with fellow Filipinos nationwide.

“Through Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Game Olympics, we are harnessing the potential of the best Filipino mobile developers and challenging their innovative minds to create fresh, exciting and interactive new games,” said Zandra Nicolas, developer evangelist of Microsoft Philippines.

“With our leading programming platform, XNA Game Studio, we are giving Filipinos the best possible tools to transform their ideas from imagination to reality,” Nicolas said.

The Windows Phone 7 (WP7) Game Olympics aims to inspire Filipino mobile application developers to push the boundaries of technology by creating games that are both fun and exciting.

The WP7 challenge also provided them with an opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity by developing innovative mobile applications built on the Windows Phone 7 platform. 

The prize for first place included two free sessions for Windows Phone 7 Development Training and feature articles to be published on http://windowsphone.ph and top IT magazines. 

An additional incentive was given in the form of a free Samsung Windows Phone 7 device, should the winning app receive more than 100 downloads from the Windows Phone Marketplace and exceptional ratings and reviews by consumers and top IT magazines. Participants were also given preliminary training by Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVP) like Jojo Ayson for Developing Innovative Applications for Mobile Devices; Jojo Limjap for Monetizing Your Mobile Applications, Adrian Rodriguez for Designing XNA Games for Windows 7; Allan Spartacus Mangune for Creating Reusable XNA Game Framework; and the special participation of IGDA chairman Paul Gadi. These Microsoft MVPs also served as judges for the WP7 Game Olympics.

The teams in the competition were also briefed on Microsoft’s App Exchange, a pioneering social service which allows mobile developers to network while aiding them in publishing their apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace. 

The event was designed not only to prepare the teams for the competition but also to encourage and teach them how to broaden the potential of their apps beyond the development stage.

Under Team Bully, Charles Cue and his teammates, developer Steven Pua and designers Robel Dione Aleguin and Abram Limpin, won the first prize for Chessassins, a stealth chess game where the objective is to defeat the white king without getting caught.

“This has been an incredible experience for my team. As passionate mobile developers, this opportunity tested our creativity and boosted our imagination. XNA Game Studio makes developing games extremely smooth and we are looking forward to our learning sessions,” said Pua, a student of De La Salle University.

In late 2010, Microsoft released XNA Game Studio 4.0, a revolutionary programming environment that allows mobile developers to use Visual Studio in order to develop games for Windows-based computers, the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone. 

XNA Game Studio is based on the XNA Framework, which consists of managed libraries designed for developing games on Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. 

XNA Game Studio 4.0, an upgrade from the original XNA Game Studio, introduced the interesting concept of XNA Framework profiles which allow developers to create a clear development environment while targeting broad or specific platform releases. 

These are designed for compatibility across the largest possible range of devices. 

Moreover, it introduced new and improved configurable effects, adding an even larger assortment to rendering options, allowing developers to create their app more accurately and intricately before uploading the final product onto the Windows Phone Marketplace using App Exchange, which allows mobile developers to publish their apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

“With the WP7 Game Olympics and Microsoft’s premier technologies, we hope to encourage more Filipinos to go beyond the limits and nurture their imaginations to be able to create innovative materials,” said Nicolas.

For more information on the results of the Windows Phone 7 Game Olympics, visit http://msdnphilippines.net/content/windowsphone7gameolympics.aspx?WT.mc_id=soc-f-ph-loc--Aug2011.

For more information and to download XNA Game Studio 4.0, visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb200104.aspx.