For the next month, the best and the brightest university students will try to out-hack each other in the Hacker Games.
The competition, which was designed to test students’ abilities to solve algorithms, image processing, data structures and artificial intelligence and more, began Saturday and continues until Oct. 6.
As of Tuesday night, UF had 54 members in the game and about three times as many points as its closest competitor, Purdue University. In fact, UF was winning the game Tuesday, ahead of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Duke University, Cornell University and Princeton University.
Fourteen schools are competing, most of which are top-tier universities, said Alex Guthrie, a 21-year-old UF computer science senior who’s playing the game.
Joe Thuemler, a UF mathematics senior and campus ambassador for the game, said there are seven levels in the game.
“The levels get progressively harder very quickly,” said the 21-year-old, who has been programming since he was 15. “You can solve level one in a couple minutes if you are good. No one has made it past level four yet.”
Hackers can play from home and form groups to help solve each challenge.
“Right now, we are mostly working individually, but as the problems get harder, we will probably have to team up,” he said.
Toward the end of the month-long contest, the five schools with the most points will complete the last challenge. Students will then have to create their own game, such as computerized chess.
The Hacker Games has a cash prize of $10,000, according to the game’s website. The first person or team to solve all of the challenges will win $5,000. After that, the winner with the correct answers will receive half of the remaining money. The winnings will continue to be divided in half until all of the prize money is gone.
Winners will also spend time with YouTube founder Jawed Karim and IGN founder Mark Jung.
Interview Streak, who hosts the competition, hosted a similar event last spring, Guthrie said. By the end of the competition, UF won fourth place.
“The goal for Hacker Games is to win this one,” he said. “We are seeking revenge.”
