Just submitted my application for the contest. Took me about 1,5 hours to find 'em all. Nice contest. =)

I found all 20 by sheer willpower.

Some were devilishly tricky.

Indeed. As a games designer, the issue of what is considered "cheating" and what isn't is something that is very widely discussed. In the end, it comes down to whether or not it is fun, and whether or not it removes the fun from others. These are the primary factors that define what is and isn't cheating.

Since the contest itself is not competitive, how people complete it to find all the answers is irrelevant. It's just as much cheating to find the list of answers posted elsewhere on the internet, or to use a tool to find the screen shots, as it is to do it manually. In the end, the winners of the contest are going to be chosen randomly from anybody who enters a successful submission, so it's not really that much different from a random giveaway combined with a personal contest.

The main issue is that some people may find that others using alternative means to finding the solutions might be "unfair", but a don't ask, don't tell policy certainly resolves this factor. Few people would find their enjoyment of the contest ruined because someone else can use a program to find the entries, just as those people are unlikely to find their enjoyment of the contest ruined because it can still be done by hand. In both cases, if the contest can be ruined by the actions taken by others, even though the contest is non-competitive, then they are probably entering the contest for the wrong reasons.

If the contest was competitive, these issues would be different. The use of exploits and cheats would directly affect another users experiences with potentially detrimental effects. But as it stands, such cheats and exploits are at the heart of creative and emergent gameplay trends that makes many of the games we play last longer than intended.

Ultimately, it's not a case of "cheating" but rather a case of problem solving using lateral thinking and diverse techniques based on what skills and abilities we possess. A task was given, but how the task was to be completed was not officially stated - a classic gameplay formula for adventure games. The scavenger hunt itself is a classic gameplay staple of adventure games.

As mrkgnao says: It's your contest - your rules. But all rules are subjective, and it is the rules that define the game, and thus the gameplay. Sometimes, just figuring out the rules IS the game. You've asked a bunch of gamers to play a game, and this is the resulting emergent gameplay - I don't really see this can be classified as cheating, just a very creative approach to achieving the objective.

As for myself, I don't really dig these types of contests, as I don't have the time to wade through all the screenies looking for changes, in the hopes of maybe getting a free game I will probably buy anyway. Heck, I barely have time to play the games I do have, let alone get some more.

But I did enjoy this chance to look at the metagame that is the gameplay of the annual scavenger hunt, and it's gaming implications. So, in that regard, the contest is a success for me too, as I also had fun and got something meaningful from it - kudos to you, GOG.

Found 19. Not sure if I'm going to go back and try to find the 20th...

I think I've got them

Thre are two or three that are little more difficult to spot

That's a matter of interpretation, since the're a simple direct relationship between the number of people entering the contest and every entrant's chance of winning.
With a contest like this where the sheer amount of time (and work) could potentially deter a lot of people those that take a short cut could be considered spoiling the chance for the ones that bite through.


I fully agree with this, though I can understand the frustration of some people.


And that's the whole point of the argument. Spending a considerable amount of time, versus taking a short cut and solving the task in 10 minutes (depending on your skill ;))

Wow - does this thing get a lot of applicants? Because I'm still going and I still only have 10.

All right ! I've found 22 !!!

Now, I just need to set my definitive list of 20 (I quite already know which ones do not fit) and send it !

That was kind of a funny game, I enjoyed browsing in the GOG catalog, and I actually found new games I'd now like to own (how convenient !)...

Anyway, cheers to GOG team and a merry christmas and a happy new year to you all !

The first time through, like many, I only found 19 (my son thought that was hilarious),

I went back through, and slowly examined each and every screenshot, and sure enough, I found the one I was missing (not an easy one to find at all).
So, I've done the contest, I've sent my email in, and now just have to wait to see if all of that work (excuse me - fun) paid off with a free game or two.

Even if I don't win, I still appreciate GOG offering these competitions.

3 hours, 15 screenshots found, and I give up (>_<)
My head hurts

Gah....I spent the whole day looking, found 18 on my first go through, and now finally found a 19th. My head hurts too :P.


BUT I AM NOT GIVING UP!

Haha someone used the "exploit" ;)

My thought exactly ;^)

Wow. I was stuck with 19 after one scan. Had to scan it again to find the last one. If I'm selected I will play those two games hard.