Ancol Games Developer Competition: Coding on the Beach was held last weekend at Bende beach at Ancol in North Jakarta. The event which was a collaboration between Taman Impian Jaya Ancol as the regional authority of the beach, Nokia Developer, and Agate Studio invited developers to create prototypes of games based on the various recreational facilities at Ancol, in 24 hours.
From 17 teams that participated in the event, Own Games which developed a game about dolphins, came out as the winner. The runners up were Studio Independent and ChocoArts.
Even though the event has concluded, the game developers are still required to continue the development of their games until they are ready to be released to the public. At this stage, the developers will be assisted by Agate Studio, and are required to submit a weekly progress report every Friday. The games are expected to be ready to be downloaded from Nokia Store on 14 August.
Promotional Media
Metty Y. Harahap, Corporate Communication Manager of PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, as reported by Kompas Tekno, said that these games by the developers will be used as new promotional media for Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. These games will eventually be using the theme and characters from Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. In addition, Ancol will also use the games to distribute deals and discounts to those who play the games. Harahap hopes that these efforts will entice consumers, especially Nokia users, to visit Ancol beach and Dunia Fantasi.
Other than the prizes, Developers who complete the games will also receive promotion by Ancol through online and offline media so as to increase exposure to the public and get their names recognized.
It seems that companies are beginning to embrace mobile and especially mobile apps as the next promotional and advertising media thanks to the rising popularity of mobile apps and games. Expect an increasing number of companies to follow the footsteps of Taman Impian Jaya Ancol and Gramedia Majalah to embrace advertising and promotion through these methods.