The Entertainment Software Association today announced the second edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) College Game Competition. The E3 College Game Competition honors the best student talent in video game development, and provides collegiate developers with a chance to display their games at E3, the world’s premier trade show for computer and video games.

Competing colleges and universities are required to submit one game, along with story details, and content assets from their playable video game, to be judged by a panel of game industry veterans and media professionals. A total of five finalists will be invited to present their game on this year’s E3 show floor.

"Last year’s collegiate game competition showcased the immense creative talent that our university system is developing for the video game industry," said Mike Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade association that owns and manages E3 and represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "ESA is proud to continue hosting the E3 College Game Competition, and its important mission of providing a spotlight for the rising game design talent that will influence the future of our industry."

This year’s competition will target almost 400 U.S. colleges, universities, art and trade schools offering video game courses, certificates and degree programs. Last year’s competition ended with a tie between the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Flash Frozen and Savannah College of Art and Design’s Lost in Thought.

"The E3 College Game Competition was an amazing experience for our students. It allowed our students to get an insider’s view of the game industry and make many valuable connections within the industry," said Diane Christie, game design and development program director at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. "The showcase provided our students with a unique opportunity to have their game exposed to a large number of people and the feedback they received from game industry veterans and media professionals was invaluable."

"For many years, E3 has been a legendary expo where heavyweight AAA game studios showcase their best projects. It was an honor to be a winner of its first college game competition in 2013," said Tony Tseng, professor of interactive design and game development at Savannah College of Art and Design. "Our faculty and students were thrilled to be a part of this fascinating expo and showcase the game our students produced at SCAD. It was exciting to demo our game alongside the world’s top game development studios. The game industry is changing and the demand for indie games grows each year. By incorporating this college game competition into E3, and by bringing that indie student spirit to the expo, the ESA once again demonstrates a clear understanding of the latest trends in the industry."