Jampacked: We have a winner | Material Energy^3

[Talonos]

I see.

I'm sorry, the terms of service you insisted we agree to led me to believe this was a legally binding contest, not a casual forum game which could be cancelled if it became inconvenient. The strict terms of service made me feel like I was safe spending time on it; I felt like you guys would have an obligation to live up to.

While I suppose cancelling the contest is technically legal under term 7, it still feels slimy. I feel like you're using a legal technicality to invalidate all the work done by an entire division of your contest. This comes off as a betrayal of trust.

I will be more wary of your contests in the future. It sounds like you're arguing that this is not something worth making personal sacrifice for. I know you guys put lots of personal sacrifice into your modpacks. Was it your intention to make us feel like that's not worthwhile?

 

[Talonos]

So, I've been thinking about it (now that I've calmed down a bit) and I think I've been being massively unfair.

The day before I started work on my entry, somebody asked the industry mentor in my game development class what it would take to get a design internship in a game company. He said, "Prove that you can complete a project. Make mods. Enter competitions. Get your work on youtube. Finish something." That day, I went home and saw this contest. It was run by the second biggest (and certainly the highest quality!) modpack launcher in the minecraft community. The contest was sponsored by Curse. The terms of service looked legitimate. I thought to myself, "This is exactly what the guys was talking about. If I place at all, or even get an honorable mention, it would show that I can complete projects, that I have put myself out there, and that I can design a fun gameplay experience. It would be a great thing to have as a portfolio piece."

But, in the end, it comes down to what Watchful said: "We're not exactly a professional organization here." I thought you were, and was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of professionalism. When I heard that the contest was completely cancelled, I kinda flew off the handle. Sorry about that.

Hambeau: It's true, those who skip work to buy lottery tickets get what's coming to them. But people skip class all the time to participate in athletic competitions. (Universities encourage it!) I thought that if I worked really hard on this project, it could pay off for the rest of my life. The problem is, I made the critical mistake of thinking "teh internet is serious business". You guys aren't the IGF or something. You're just a group of people having fun with a game that you love. The terms of service are to protect you, not to protect those who enter the contest.

I apologize for letting my "serious business" intrude on your site. It was unfair of me to hold a group of volunteers to such high expectations. You guys are doing great for the resources you have, and anybody who is upset at you (like me!) for doing your best just doesn't understand your mission.

Good luck on the upcoming JamPacked. I'll probably enter, but I'll do so knowing it's a friendly competition and not take it too seriously. I also apologize for all the annoyed, aggressive forum posts I've put up since becoming a part of this competition.

I'm sorry it took me this long to see the fundamental mis-communication.

PS: In the future, do you think maybe you could add an extra line to the terms of service saying that the contest is for "entertainment purposes only," or similar legalese? That probably would have cued me off that this was not something to do to as a resumé item.

 

[FennekMaster]

I'm definitely going to enter again! This time, I'm gonna make a modpack that doesn't suck this time. My last one was most likely the worst modpack in the contest. I made it as a last minute modpack because my other one was too buggy. This time, I'm gonna make sure that everything works right.

 

[dragon_fang101]

Oh thank you

Parcel31u you are awesome! i think me^3 was my favorite, however me^4 was very good too. now im trying anti-ME. knowing you, its gonna be awesome!