Stop and Smell the Flowers: Tell Us Your Flower Story

Hello, PS Blog readers. If you follow the blog much, you already know that Flower had its 1-year anniversary a few months ago, and we just released a Flower dynamic theme, plus the soundtrack from the game, to help commemorate it.

Flower is widely recognized by fans and critics alike for being a game unlike any other game we’ve played before. People experience and enjoy the game in different ways. Some people ponder about the deeper message behind Flower’s “story,” while others might use it as a way to relax and unwind, or even share the unique gaming experience with their non-gaming friends and loved ones. We each experience and react to Flower in a different way, and that’s part of what makes Flower so great and so unique. And that was part of the goal thatgamecompany set out to achieve with Flower.

And we want to hear about your story, your experience with Flower. Send us your most touching, most personal, or most memorable story about your experience with Flower. We’ll be working with the developers at thatgamecompany to sort through all of the entries and pick our favorite five to receive a $20 PSN card each, and to be featured in a future blog post.

Here’s what you do: type up your essay about your Flower experience in 2000 words or less, and email it to myflowerstory@thatgamecompany.com before 9 AM (PST) on April 28. You just have to be 13 years old or older, and a legal resident of the United States or District of Columbia. In your email, be sure to include your name and date of birth.

We can’t wait to read your entries! Good luck!

Rules:

The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only and will be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this contest if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry.

OFFICIAL RULES & RELEASE
Flower Experience Contest

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN
Void outside the 50 United States and District of Columbia and where prohibited.

1. Eligibility. The Flower Experience Contest (“Promotion”) is open to only legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 13 or older at the time of entry. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this Promotion.

2. Sponsor. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404 (“Sponsor”).

3. Timing. The Promotion begins on April 15, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends on April 28, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. PST (the “Promotion Period”).

4. How to Enter. To enter send an email to myflowerstory@thatgamecompany.com and include the essay entry in the body of the email or attach a text document. Be sure to provide your name, date of birth and email address (hereinafter the “Submission”). Entrant must have played the game Flower. The Submission must describe the Entrant’s most memorable experience with the game Flower.

5. Entry Conditions and Release. Limit one entry per person for the duration of the Promotion Period. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. The Submission must be text only and the original and unpublished creation of the Entrant. Entrant must be the sole owner of the work. The Submission must be no longer than 2000 words in length. Entrant waives any claims against Sponsor, and its affiliates concerning his/her rights in the Submission submitted under this Agreement. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any entries that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate including, but not limited to, foul language, gratuitous depiction of violence or sexual behavior, positive depictions of alcohol or tobacco or any other illegal activity. Entry cannot defame or invade the rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any third party personal or proprietary rights. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an Entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Promotion or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Promotion or any other Entrant.

6. Winner Selection. Winners will be selected from all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor’s decisions will be final and binding. Winners will be notified by email no later than May 12, 2010. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected based on the stated Judging Criteria. Chosen winners must respond to the prize notification within seventy two (72) hours from when Sponsor sent notification. In the event that a winner does not respond to Sponsor’s notification within the specified time, a new winning entry will be chosen from the remaining entries based on the stated Judging Criteria. Alternate winners will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond from when Sponsor sent the notification, this process will continue until all prize notifications have been responded to. Winners will be announced on or around May 3, 2010.

7. Judging Criteria. All entries received will be judged based 50% on how inspirational the story is and 50% on how touching the story is by a panel of judges composed of members of the thatgamecompany development team and SCEA’s Marketing and Product Development staff.

8. Prizes. Five (5) First Prize winners will each receive a PlayStation®Network card worth $20.00 for a combined total of ARV $100.00. Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. If a prize is returned to Sponsor as undeliverable, Sponsor has the sole and absolute discretion to disqualify a winning Entrant and select an alternate winner based on the stated Judging Criteria. Prizes are non-transferable, and Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on winner’s request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of the prize.

9. Release and Grant of Rights. Entrants are solely responsible for their Submission and the consequences of posting or publishing it. In connection with the Submission, Entrant affirms, represents, and warrants that: (i) Entrant owns or has the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor; and (ii) Entrant has the written consent, release and permission of each and every identifiable individual person in the Submission to use the name of those persons to enable inclusion and use of the Submission in the manner contemplated by the Sponsor. By submitting the Submission to Sponsor, Entrant hereby grants to Sponsor a perpetual, fully paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, transmit, and permit others to use and perform throughout the universe the Submission, his/her likeness and performance and every identifiable individual person’s likeness and performance in the Submission in any media. Entrant hereby releases Sponsor and its parent and sister companies, and their officers, directors, employees and agents from any and all claims, demands, actions or causes of action of any kind, nature or description, which you or any of your successors, or, assigns, may now, or at any time, have or claim to have any reason of, arising out of, relating to or in any way connected with the rights granted above.

10. General Conditions and Releases. Potential winners are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with the Official Rules’ terms and conditions, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is under no obligation to use the winning submission in any media. Winners agree to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, winner agrees to release Sponsor and their respective parents, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions, and affiliates from any and all liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury and/or death which may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance and/or use or misuse of prize or participation in any Promotion-related activity and claims based on publicity rights, copyright/trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery.

11. Odds of Winning. Odds of winning are determined by the number of eligible entries received.

12. Publicity. By accepting a prize, a winning Entrant agrees to the use of his or her name and likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law, and agrees, if required, to sign and return a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability (the “Affidavit”) within a period that Sponsor specifies.

13. Promotion Results. To obtain a winners’ list by mail, send a stamped, self- addressed envelope to “Flower Experience Contest,” Attn: Sony Computer Entertainment America Marketing, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor, Foster City, CA 94404. Sponsor will send requested winners’ lists within 4-6 weeks after it awards prizes. Requests for the winner’s list must be received by May 31, 2010.

14. Collection of Information. The information necessary to operate the Promotion was collected by Sponsor at the time of entry, and without limiting Sponsor’s rights under its privacy policies with regards to its use of the information, will be used to contact you specifically for operation of the Promotion. Information collected in connection with the Promotion will otherwise be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, available at http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PrivacyPolicy. By agreeing to these Official Rules, you are also agreeing to the terms of Sponsor’s privacy policy.

15. Restrictions. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.