While on the developer/submitter side, steam/console keys for IGF submissions are simply thrown into a sheet... on the judge side this isn't the case, and as such, things need to be carefully handled to allow judges to play builds easily.
The image at the top here shows the judge-side interface for receiving a game key. Judges are assigned one key from the list at random. This has a few important implications:
- There should be no arbitrary text in the key list, as judges could end up being "assigned" the text as a key.
- Keys must not be mixed between platforms or judges may end up with keys they can't use
- Keys must not be mixed between region (where consoles/stores are region based) or judges may end up with keys they can't use
This means that if you have a game where you have keys for switch NA, switch EU, and steam, each of those should be entered as a separate Build in the IGF interface and have its own key sheet.
Most submittees get this right, but indies who are less familiar with the interface (or are less fluent in english) seem to have trouble with it, so it's worth calling out IMO.