Gaming contests for people under 18?

[Jimmt]

Not really, are you going to want to start coding after 8-10 hours at work?

I def would. I still code after 14 hours of school/homework/practice every day
sometimes its less if i dont have that much hw
after only 8-10 hours i would most definitely be coding

You wouldn't know, you've never been to an actual workspace...school is easy compared to that, you just learn, not much work, +you get long breaks. There's no boss yelling at you at school and not reaching a deadline isn't going to get your income snapped. My dad looked forward to going to school because his family was poor, school definitely isn't of the same intensity as a real job(unless you're talking about hardcore SAT prep, which I might have to start soon)

[KevinWorkman]

I think you're underestimating the number of people under the age of 18 in game jams, specifically Ludum Dare. You're also overestimating their competitive nature: part of their fun is the spirit of camaraderie in the community, and I'd say most people taking part in them are inexperienced programmers. I also think you're underestimating how much time the adult world takes away from you: it's not like we have exactly 8 hours of work and then the rest of the day for fun and games. Finally, you're overestimating how much of a benefit age is: sure, if you've been programming games for 10 years you're going to have an edge, but it's often harder for an older person to get started programming than it is for you young'uns.

I'm all for you guys organizing any kind of contest you want, but I also think you're looking for a problem where there might not actually be one. Up to you, but that's my two cents.