Support from ARM & Playjam sees biggest cash in the history of GameHack on offer to event participants
TIGA, the trade association representing the video game industry has announced the cash prize for its 2013 TIGA GameHack events now stands at a record £5,000. Simultaneous events will be held at Abertay University in Dundee and Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire on the 16th and 17th November, with the cash prize being awarded to a single team, which could come from either event.
TIGA GameHack will challenge the best and brightest of the UK games development industry to come together for a truly unique creative experience, with participants being challenged to develop a game from scratch in just 24 hours.
The rewards on offer to UK developers, in addition to valuable recognition, networking and learning opportunities, include the £5,000 cash prize (£2,000 with a further £3,000 to publish a game on GameStick – the world’s most portable TV games console) and half a day motion capture studio time with Centroid 3D. This is in addition to a BlackBerry Q10 or Z10 device for each winning team member for the BlackBerry ‘Endless Runner’ challenge.
In the run up to the TIGA GameHack, ARM, Playjam and Abertay University are hosting a series of developer open days and game development webinars to help participants get ready for the events. The next open day will be held at PlayJam’s HQ, in Centre Point, London on Tuesday 5th November from 17:00 to 20:00. Attendees will get to meet the GameStick team, its engineers and hear directly from developers who have created or ported games for GameStick.The ARM developer support team will also be on hand to answer questions on optimising for GameStick and other ARM devices.
For ARM’s and Playjam’s categories, participants will be provided with Unity for Android and ARM tools including emulators. Attendees at both the Abertay and Pinewood events will receive help and support throughout from ARM’s & Playjam’s teams, on hand to advise and provide cutting edge tricks of the trade for maximising the graphical performance of portable gaming devices.
GameHack is now open for registration for TIGA members and non-members alike. For more information visit: www.gamehack.co.uk. To register for the event, please visit https://www.tiga.org/events/tiga-gamehack. Tickets are just £5, plus 95 pence to cover the cost of processing payments. All ticket revenue goes to SpecialEffect, a UK based charity, which uses video games and technology to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities.
The TIGA 2013 24-hour GameHack is supported by Gold sponsors ARM and PlayJam, Bronze sponsor BlackBerry, snacks sponsor Unity Technologies and prize sponsor Centroid.
Dr. Richard Wilson, CEO, TIGA, said:
“TIGA is focused on helping independent developers and digital publishers to succeed, so it’s heartening to see the rewards we’re able to offer UK developers increasing year on year as TIGA GameHack goes from strength to strength in both Scotland and England. The events themselves will provide developers with the perfect opportunity to experiment with new game ideas, collaborate with new teams and work in a new environment.
“I’d like to thank our sponsors and partners ARM, Abertay University, PlayJam, BlackBerry, Unity Technologies, Centroid 3D and Pinewood Studios for enabling TIGA to deliver a GameHack that will recognise achievements in innovation, mobile and sheer ‘awesome’ games.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
More details on each challenge can be found at: www.gamehack.co.uk
Prizes are available across these categories:
- Best Game, sponsored by ARM and PlayJam
Prize: £2,000 with an additional £3,000 to publish the game on GameStick
- Best ‘Endless Runner’ Game, sponsored by BlackBerry
Prize: Q10 or Z10 devices for each winning team member
- Most Awesome Game, sponsored by Centroid 3D
Prize: Half a day motion capture studio time with Centroid
- Most Innovative Idea, sponsored by TIGA
Prize:Keynote speaking opportunity at a TIGA GameDev Night and top story coverage in TIGA’s member network newsletter ‘The Eye’ to raise the profile of your game and your team.
- The Hacktackular Award
Prize: TBC
- The Community Spirit Award
Prize: TBC
About TIGA
TIGA is the trade association representing the video game industry. We help developers and digital publishers build successful studios, network with the right people, save money and access professional business advice.
We also have outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. Since 2010, TIGA has won 16 business awards.
TIGA focuses on three sets of activities
- Political representation
- Media representation
- Business services
This enhances the competitiveness of our members by providing benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
It also means our members’ voices are heard in the corridors of power and positively represented in national, broadcast and UK video game trade media.
Get in touch:
Tel: 0845 468 2330
Email: info@tiga.org
Web: www.tiga.org
Twitter: @TIGAMovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga
For further information, you can also contact:
Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on: 07875 939 643, or email: richard.wilson@tiga.orgrichard.wilson@tiga.org
Drew Field, TIGA Communications Director on: 07720 643 344, or email: drew.field@tiga.org
About Abertay University
Abertay University launched the world’s first computer games technology degree in 1997, and runs both the UK Centre of Excellence for Computer Games Education and the international game design contest Dare to be Digital. Our unique partnership with BAFTA makes Dare the exclusive pathway to the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award, a major recognition of up-and-coming games talent.
Through the Abertay University Prototype Fund start-up and small developers across the UK have access to funding to create new prototypes and attract additional investment, another practical way Abertay supports the growth of a sustainable, successful games industry.
Abertay has the highest number of Skillset accreditations for computer games courses as well as holding full Skillset Media Academy status, recognition of the important industry skills that are developed on our courses.
About ARM
ARM designs the technology that is at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies.
About PlayJam
PlayJam was established with a core mission to bring affordable gaming to TV. The company operates a built-for-TV games platform that currently powers casual games on over 80 million Smart TV devices worldwide through partnerships with leading manufacturers including, Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic. To date the platform has delivered over 1 billion games via Pay and Smart TV networks in over 120 countries.
In January this year, PlayJam extended support for its platform to Android-enabled devices and announced the launch of its own hardware platform GameStick. At $79.99, GameStick – billed as the world’s most portable TV games console – offers families an affordable entry point to a world of games that can be played out on the home’s big screen.
PlayJam is backed by GameStop, Adobe, Endeavour Ventures, London Venture Partners and a number of game industry luminaries.
About Unity Technologies
Unity Technologies is the creator of Unity, a flexible and high-performance development platform used to make creative and intelligent interactive 3D and 2D experiences. The “author once, deploy everywhere” capability enables developers to deploy to all of the most important platforms.
Unity Technologies boasts a thriving community of 1.5 million developers including large publishers, indie studios, students and hobbyists. To remain at the forefront of innovation, Unity Technologies tirelessly re-invests in its award-winning 3D development tools and its democratization initiatives, such as the Asset Store digital marketplace and Union game distribution service.
Unity Technologies is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit: http://unity3d.com.
About Centroid 3D
Motion capture and character animation services to the film, television and video games industry, Centroid delivers motion capture and 3D pipeline solutions throughout Europe. With a team of thirty industry professionals, a comprehensive list of facilities and services from production pre visualisation to finished post production animation and a strict secure data environment, we deliver on time to the highest standards, quality and security.
About Pinewood Studios
The Pinewood Studios Group is a leading provider of studio and related services to the global film and television industry. Synonymous with world class British and international productions, the impressive heritage of its UK-based Pinewood and Shepperton Studios date back to the early 20th Century and are home to some of the most successful feature films and TV shows ever made.
Pinewood Studios has universally been associated with the film and television industry. However, the expansion of the Pinewood Group continues to increase with the use of its award winning post-production facilities into the Games Industry. The facilities offer internationally recognised foley recording and editing; custom sound design; localisation in over 40 languages; Oscar winning mixers; sound editorial and project management.
Recent video games that have used the Studios’ facilities include Fable: The Journey (Microsoft); Total War – Shogun 2 Fall of the Samurai (Sega); Driver: San Francisco (Ubisoft). Visit www.pinewoodgroup.com for more info.