The big difference between development competitions and other competitions are that where other compos focus on a single element, development compos cover them all. From art to code to writing, a game developer or development team must focus on making their game as good as possible within the time limit, incorporating all of those elements in a cohesive way. It can be extremely stressful, but also extremely rewarding. And naturally, the competition results are available for all to partake and enjoy, judging them on their individual merits.

Probably the most nagging problem behind development competitions is the theme. You can only do so many themes before you start to repeat yourself, and setting a aesthetic theme (such as making the game about zombies) limitates the creativity of those partaking in your competition to a greater degree than, say, a general gameplay theme (such as procedural generation). You can always fall back on the good old time-based theme (3 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, etc) but that's mostly a cop-out. So when starting a compo, try and give it a unique and interesting gameplay-oriented theme. The results will end up much better.

For major compos, there's one site in particular that should catch the eye of any indie aficionado. That would be TIGSource, which stands for (appropriately) The Independent Games Source. The blog is maintained (mostly) by indie heavyweight Derek Yu, who is one of the best indie devs working the field today. However, the forums are a whole different matter. With such heavyweights as konjak (Noitu Love 2) and Arne (Cortex Command), as well as upcoming contenders such as haowan (Dyson), there's a lot of raw talent on the boards. And the competitions forum distills it into game form. Hosting a competition every two to three months, a lot of good stuff has come out of those forums. For more info on this haven of independent competitions, it is highly suggested that you check out the Indiedaze PGC article for some excellent games. It's also suggested that you take a look at the forums and either read only or contribute, entering the various competitions yourself. They are all friendly gamers who love to make things they want to play, so don't be afraid of them

For the less frequent, more annual sort of competition, there is the annual IGF, or Independent Games Festival, which is held each year at GDC. There's is no higher honor than winning an award at the IGF, and several excellent games have done preciously that. Darwinia, Gish, Aquaria, Audiosurf, Alien Hominid, and countless other amazing and polished independent games have gone through the gauntlet of judging and come out as men. For excellent independent games, as well as a look at what the future holds as far as game releases go, IGF is the prime source of information for anyone interested.

Another great competition, although a little less known, is TOJam, or Toronto Game Jam to say it all out. It just recently finished up its third iteration, which was covered in the Indiedaze feature as well. An annual game development jam in Toronto, it brings together developers of all nationalities (despite its odd location) to work on games either alone or in teams to showcase to the world. It has a lot of talent, such as Jon Mak, who some may recognize as the creator of cult hits Everyday Shooter and Gate 88. It incorporates seemingly random themes for the developers to work with, but work with it they do, producing some absolutely outstanding games in the short time they have.

Finally, but certainly not the least noteworthy, are the local competitions. So far all I've mentioned are the larger competitions, or the internet focused ones. To really do a competition, though, all you need is a few people and the burning desire to create something excellent. Go to local conventions or competitions. Talk to your college's computer science club about setting one up if you can't find any. Above all, just keep in mind that a development competition isn't about defeating the other developers. It's about making your own games as awesome as possible and witnessing the genesis of others accomplishing the same thing. So be a good sport about it at local events. Nobody likes a self-assured jerk who takes it upon himself to flaunt his game in everyone else's faces

As you can tell, this hasn't been so much an opinion article as it has been an information one. It's meant to bring light and focus to the realm of indie gaming competitions, and even then, I didn't cover everythin I meant to (like the Eegra shindig). It's a sort of cultural phenomenon that, while seen in other forms of art, really comes together in game development. And keeping up with it is a great way to educate yourself on both the limitations of the medium as well as the sort of effort put into games with visible art and time restraints. Some of these developers stay up for 72 hours, finishing their game for all to see. That's a feat. In the end, though, competitions serve an excellent purpose for both developers and consumers. It allows developers to realize the sort of work that must go into a game, and allows consumers to see the up-and-coming heavyweights of the game industry. So no matter what, it's a good thing.