GSHI Anniversary Contest

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[this page is still being put together, but serves as an incomplete information center concerning the GSHI Anniversary Contest]


The GSHI Anniversary Contest (generally called by the year it resides in, as in "GSHI 10th Anniversary Contest") is an annual event held at GSHI.org, wherein members of the scene may test their meddle in direct competition with one another.


The Contest is comprised of three separate events:


1. Hacking Competition - Hackers test their mettle in a hacking challenge utilizing an emulator. A link to the emulator and required ROMs is given, along with the codes to be hacked. The winner takes home a $75 gift certificate to EB Games, a 4-pack of Gamer Grub, and a GSHI.org t-shirt.


2. Gaming Tournament - Gamers face off in an online tournament, whose platform and games are unveiled a few days before the opening of the tournament (to provide an opportunity for gamers to become accustomed with the platform and games, to offset as much as possible the potential advantage that gamers who happen to have experience with the given platform and/or games might possess), in an elimination system (two gamers face off at a time, and after all pairs have jousted, the winners pair off, and so forth, until there is only one remaining winner). The winner takes home a $75 gift certificate to EB Games, a 4-pack of Gamer Grub, and a GSHI.org t-shirt. Second place winner of the Gaming Tournament takes home a 4-pack of Gamer Grub and a GSHI t-shirt. Third place winner takes home a GSHI t-shirt.


3. Artwork Contest - Competitors create a unique piece of art in the form of a GSHI.org logo, which will be voted on by GSHI admin staff. The winner takes home a $75 gift certificate to EB Games, a 4-pack of Gamer Grub, and a GSHI.org t-shirt, and his/her logo will be on the next year's GSHI.org t-shirts.


Rules for the Hacking Competition

Lazy Bastard unveils the emulator to be used, and an unimportant, public domain ROM, two days prior to the opening of the competition, in order for hackers to become accustomed to the emulator and hacking interface. Other hacking tools, or even other emulators, may be used by hackers if desired, but codes submitted must work for the prescribed emulator.


Three games are unveiled (with hosted download) at each of three eight-hour marks in the day of opening (for example, 8am/4pm/12am), for balance in work shifts/timezones. The competition closes 48 hours after the unveiling of the last game. If there is a tie, a fourth game is unveiled after the close of the competition, and the tied hackers face off once more (and so on if necessary).


There is a point system based on the level of difficulty in hacking a given code, which works as such:

Level 1: infinite health, infinite lives, infinite ammo, etc.
Level 2: coordinate mod, text mod, unlock features/characters, etc.
Level 3: walk-through-walls, room mod, music mod, sprite control, etc.

Level 1 = 1 point
Level 2 = 2 points
Level 3 = 3 points


Three desired level 1 codes, two desired level 2 codes, and one desired level 3 code are unveiled per game, at the time the respective game is unveiled.


Codes submitted can be either RAM codes or ROM/Game Genie codes. Codes should be tested by the hacker prior to submission, for they are tested by GSHI staff, and must provide functionality, not just the illusion of functionality. For example, an Infinite Health code that merely makes the health meter remain full visually, but which does not stop your actual health from decreasing (hence you eventually die from damage accrued), will not be accepted. Likewise, a code that does not visually affect the health meter, but does functionally affect it (and will prevent you from dying due to accrued damage), will be accepted.


Anyone can participate, and there is no registration required (aside from registration on the GSHI.org forums). The person with the most points in the two days allotted wins (if there is a tie, then the person who submitted codes first wins). Codes submitted after the close of the competition will not be accepted. All codes are sent to Lazy Bastard by Private Message on the forums.


If the winner does not wish to divulge an address or method of receiving any or all prizes, the prize(s) will then go to the second place winner, and so on if necessary.


Rules for the Gaming Tournament

Competitors are assigned a Player number, in the order in which they sign up (simply by making a post in the GSHI [] Anniversary Contest thread for that year).


A GSHI staff member spectates each bout, and competitors face off until one has a 2/3 advantage in a game (2 out of 3 rounds in a fighting game, 2 out of 3 stages or levels in a puzzle game, etc), at which point he/she is the winner for that game, in that bout. The two competitors then go at it in the next game, then the third and final, and the competitor with 2/3 advantage out of all three games (the winner of at least two games overall) is advanced to the next round. This continues until there are only two competitors, who play, as it were...for the win :)


As an example, if there are ten competitors, the first bout is [Player 1] vs [Player 2], and the first game is [Game 1]. If [Player 1] beats [Player 2] 2 out of 3 times in this game, [Player 1] is considered the winner of this game, within this bout. The two players then move on to the second game, and the process repeats. If, after all three bouts of all three games, [Player 2] is the winner of 2 out of 3 games, [Player 2] is advanced to the next round, and does not compete again until [Player 3] vs [Player 4], [Player 5] vs [Player 6], etc have been completed, at which point he/she competes against the winner of the [Player 3] vs [Player 4] bout. If [Player 2] wins this bout, he/she is advanced to the next round again, and does not compete again until the winner of [Player 5] vs [Player 6] faces off against the winner of [Player 7] vs [Player 8]. [Player 2] then competes against the winner of [Player 9] vs [Player 10], and, assuming [Player 2] wins, he/she is advanced to the next stage, and the rotation continues as such.


Rules for the Art Contest

  • The logo must contain "GSHI.org" (actually, it must BE a GSHI.org logo, heh).
  • The logo must not contain any copyright material (no video game characters, etc).
  • The logo must be the original work of the person submitting it.