Aspiring Video Game Designers Tee-It-Up for Golden Tee's Design-a-Hole Contest

ARLINGTON HTS., Ill., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Lots of kids want to become video game designers when they grow up. And apparently, many still want to after they grow up. Just ask Jim  Zielinski, co-creator of the #1 video bar game, Golden Tee LIVE.

Zielinski gets paid to dream up the beguiling fairways and greens that have kept Golden Tee Golf on top for an unprecedented 21 years.  Since joining Incredible Technologies (IT), maker of Golden Tee, in 1988, he's designed nearly 100 virtual golf courses. That's almost 2,000 unique holes.

For many, it's the ultimate dream job. Luckily, Zielinski is not above sharing it.  Hence, Golden Tee's Third Annual Design-a-Hole contest, which is now in full swing.  

Contest entries come in all formats, ranging from scrawls on bar napkins and simple crayon sketches to architectural blueprints, CAD designs and YouTube videos.

Zielinski and his collaborative partner, Golden Tee co-creator Larry Hodgson, marvel at the contestants' creative use of media.  However, their true interest lies in the design of the holes themselves.

And that's crucial because, once the contest closes on April 15, Zielinski and Hodgson will carefully review each design for its Golden Tee-worthiness. From the hundreds of submissions, they'll select the top three designs. The three finalists will be posted at www.goldentee.com, where players and fans will vote for the winner.

Over the years, Zielinski has designed every conceivable type of golf course: links, mountains, tropical, and desert. The courses are realistic, yet entirely fictitious. No detail is too small for his attention.

Once the Design-a-Hole winner is crowned, Zielinski will transform the winning design into the world of the game, and incorporate it into one of Golden Tee's 2011 courses.

Interestingly, IT offers no real reward to the contest  winner – other than a sign on the virtual hole. It doesn't have to. Apparently, just having one's creation immortalized in the game — where it will be played millions of times by millions of people — is enough to inspire would-be designers.  But there is one nice perk: the 2011 World Premiere launch party will be held in the winner's hometown bar.

So aspiring video game designers: it's time to get busy.  For more complete contest rules, tips, and peeks of Zielinski at work, visit www.goldentee.com.

SOURCE Incredible Technologies