While computer programming has been around since the 1940s, the ability to write code remains a fairlyl niche skill. On the flip side, gaming tournaments have become so popular that celebrities like Jason Sudeikis are involved in FIFA 21 tournaments, and millions of people tune in to watch. With this in mind, FUZE4 decided to host a programming competition with tons of prizes and well-known video game industry judges in order to bring coding into the forefront.

FUZE4 was released on Nintendo Switch in 2020 and is aimed at providing a platform for people to learn how to code while allowing them to design their own games. Much in the way Mario Maker 2 allows for world building, so too does FUZE, but the latter title is decidedly coding-based as opposed to the drag and drop nature of Mario Maker. Players can essentially use the app to program any game they'd like, so long as they learn how write the code to do it.

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There are several categories within the competition, from best original game idea to best visual FX. Another category, old game made new, challenges players to take established mechanics from a classic game and modernize them in some way. Of course, players must still respect copyright, so they can't simply make an animal collecting RPG and call it Pokemon. Nintendo has shut down Pokemon fan games in the past, and FUZE doesn't want to take any chances with Nintendo or other companies, so entrants in this category do have to be wary of the copyright element.

Judges include the Oliver twins, Jeff Minter, and Eugene Jarvis, a programmer for one of the best classic Atari games, Defender. As for rewards, prizes include everything from nice swag to getting a game published on the Switch via the FUZE platform. The competition is open until April 30, 2021.

FUZE4 is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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Source: FUZE