Current Events > Could something like Swordquest work today?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Fans of YouTube series like The Angry Video Game Nerd or Classic Game Room will have no need for an introduction, but here's a rundown for anyone who isn't into that. Swordquest was a contest held by Atari between 1982 and 1984. People would look for clues to a hidden message in one of four video games with the rewards being a chance at actual prizes valued at $50,000 each. The four winners would have returned for a finale in which the ultimate winner would have received a second prize. Unfortunately, Atari filed for bankruptcy and the contest was never finished. The third game's prize was never given out and the fourth game was never programmed.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/6/AAdlC_AAC1e8.jpg

Would it be possible to have a large scale gaming competition with actual cash prizes? Sure, the internet would make trading information easy. But why would you want to give tips out? You'd just be making it more difficult to win the contest yourself. And disinformation is easily spread. "To make the golden key appear in the Fire Dungeon, stand by the Skull Totem and stare into its eye sockets for 15 minutes in real time."

The real question is whether or not someone could hack the game's data before it had a rightful winner.