Freedomware Gamefest 2007: Let the games begin!

We are excited to make the final preliminary announcement of Freedomware Gamefest 2007, a first international online event featuring a multitude of tournaments as part of a single happening and with games that are only Free Software.

It has been founded to promote Free Software gaming as well as gaming on Free Operating Systems such as GNU/Linux, to show that the gaming world at large is not limited to proprietary offerings on proprietary platforms such as Microsoft Windows.

The name “freedomware” is an attractive brand that refers to software that is free as in freedom rather than just free of cost (like “freeware”). The name “gamefest” refers to this event as a gaming festival which, albeit held online, celebrates and propagates Free Software gaming through action packed and fun-loaded competitions.

It will feature a number of tournaments for games like Nexuiz, OpenArena, Tremulous, Armagetron Advanced and more, depending on community interest. Even after the first tournaments begin there will be a limited window of opportunity for additional game tournaments to be organized, which is why we encourage communities of games not currently included to register as soon as possible and work with us on organizing their tournaments.

This event is being organized by Nuxified.org (from Libervis Network) and in cooperation with Cluenet.org, The Tux Project and the gaming communities. It is sponsored by ZaReason Inc. and TheLinuxStore.ca.

Registrations for participation will be accepted until November 20 when both individual players and clans can join. Immediately after, we will invite all registered participants to confirm their participation in tournaments which fit the preferences they stated, and proceed to split the players into groups and teams and schedule the first matches.

Exceptionally, registrations may still be accepted, for a limited time, even after the deadline for backup players and players who wish to start a tournament for a game that hasn’t yet been included.

Each tournament will have two stages, qualifications and the “final tournament”. By default, bottom third of all players or teams in the qualifications stage will be disqualified, while the rest proceed to fight it out based on a chosen tournament scheduling bracket (usually single elimination). There can be multiple tournaments per each game, such as a 1vs1 and a CTF tournament for both OpenArena and Nexuiz.

Recognized winner titles include winners of each tournament and a single universal Freedomware Gamefest 2007 Ultimate Player, which is to be chosen among all of the tournament winners.

Each tournament winner is to be awarded a prize worth at least $50 while the main winner, the Ultimate Player, will win at least 25% off from any ZaReason computer and Logitech G15 Gamers keyboard sponsored by TheLinuxStore.ca.

You can help increase the pool of prizes for the tournament winners by making a donation or buying from one of the Freedomware Gamefest web shops offered by REVELinux Gear.

We have the support, we have attractive prizes and we have some excellent games. We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to be a part of a great event that will rock the Free Software gaming world! We call on you to spread the word, to join the tournament of the game you like and to rock the virtual arenas!

Let the games begin!

Thank you

Danijel Orsolic
Nuxified.org

For more information see Freedomware-Gamefest.com and check out the links in the left sidebar.