New Zealand will be the first territory to host the Global Game Jam - a competition where teams race to put together a video game from concept to completion in 48 hours - on January 28th 2011.

The Global Game Jam, now in its third year, is held simultaneously at over 120 different locations around the world, with the competition starting here first by the simple virtue that New Zealand will be the first territory to reach the start date. The competition is open to any artists, musicians, designers, animators and programmers although some experience is encouraged.

Last year, some 60 developers produced around 21 games with the theme of "deception". As you can see by checking out some of last year's games at the Independent Game Developers Association of New Zealand website, the short production cycle isn't necessarily a barrier to quality.

If you're interested in taking part, be sure to head along to the Independent Game Developers Association of New Zealand site and register at the appropriate location near the bottom of the page.