Free Stuff below!

Every year, Microsoft runs a competition called DreamBuildPlay.  Last week DBP 2009 was kicked off.  Things you should know:

• DreamBuildPlay is a contest in which you or your team (of up to 7) build a video game for the Xbox 360.
• Your video game needs to be built in XNA Game Studio 3.0, or 3.1 when it comes out in May.
• You get a free 12 month subscription to XNA Creator’s Club just for registering.
• Grand Prize Winner receives $40,000.  Prizes of $5,000 to $20,000 available for subsequent winners.
• If the judges really like your game (even if you’re not the grand prize winner), they may offer you a publishing contract for Xbox Live Arcade.
• The Dishwasher, an XBLA title released last week was a DreamBuildPlay winner in 2007.  Other DreamBuildPlay winners are in the pipe.
• No theme this year, so you can build any kind of game you want.  But it has to target the Xbox 360, not Windows.
• Submission Deadline is Aug 6, 2009 (My Birthday!)

If you’re an amateur or hobbyist game designer/programmer/artist and you have a wild idea for a new game, this is your chance to hunker down and get some eyeballs on what you can do.

Register here.