TIGA Launches 24-hour TIGA GameHack event in partnership with Abertay University in Dundee

By October 22, 2013 Press Releases

ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, CODE!

 

TIGA, the trade association representing the UK Games industry, today announced the launch of its 24-hour TIGA GameHack event in Scotland on 16 and 17 November 2013. The event will be held at, and in partnership with Abertay University in Dundee.
 
In the run up to the TIGA GameHack, TIGA and Abertay University will also be hosting a series of game development webinars which participants will be invited to attend.
 
The event will challenge the best and brightest of the Scottish games development industry and academic community to come together for a truly unique creative experience, with participants given the opportunity to develop a game from scratch in just 24 hours.
 
Quickfire inspiration and team work are the order of the day with the chance to win some amazing prizes across these categories:
 
·         Best Game, sponsored by ARM and PlayJam
·         Best ‘Endless Runner’ Game, sponsored by BlackBerry
·         Most Awesome Game, sponsored by Centroid 3D
·         Most Innovative Idea, sponsored by TIGA
·         The Hacktackular Award
·         The Community Spirit Award
 
For ARM’s and Playjam’s category, participants will be provided with Unity for Android and ARM tools including emulators. They will also receive help and support throughout the event, learning cutting edge tricks of the trade for maximising the graphical performance of portable gaming devices.
 
TIGA GameHack is supported by Gold sponsors ARM and PlayJam, Bronze sponsor BlackBerry, snacks sponsor Unity Technologies and prize sponsor Centroid. The event is also supporting SpecialEffect, a UK based charity which uses video games and technology to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities.
 
TIGA GameHack in Scotland is now open for registration for Abertay students and Scottish developers, both TIGA members and non-members alike. For more information visit: www.gamehack.co.ukTo register for the event, please visit www.tiga.org/events.
 
Dr. Richard Wilson, CEO, TIGA, commented:
“TIGA is focused on helping Scotland’s independent developers and digital publishers to succeed, and has long enjoyed good relationships with world-class educational institutions like Abertay University, as well as other key organisations like Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland.
 
“The TIGA GameHack in Scotland will provide the hugely important Scottish academic and game development community with the perfect opportunity to learn, experiment, network and collaborate creatively. We hope all our Scottish student, developer and digital publisher members will seize this chance to come together and create something truly special in just 24 hours.
 
“I’d like to thank our sponsors ARM, PlayJam, BlackBerry, Unity Technologies, Centroid 3D and Abertay University for enabling TIGA to deliver a GameHack event that will recognise achievements in innovation, mobile development and sheer ‘awesome’ games.
 
Ryan Locke, Lecturer in Media Design, University of Abertay Dundee, added:
“Both Abertay University and the city of Dundee are at the heart of the UK games industry and we’re enormously excited to be able to run GameHack in partnership with TIGA. This will give our students and Scottish developers the chance to experience a genuine thrill, as well as providing valuable networking opportunities and a creatively stimulating environment.”
 
Sameer R. Baroova, Head of Games, PlayJam, added:
“We are very excited to be a part of the TIGA GameHack. GameStick fits right in with the spirit of GameHack, offering a variety of ways to develop and innovate. I am looking forward to seeing some great teamwork and cool game concepts. This should be a lot of fun.”
 
Nizar Romdhane, director of ecosystem, Media Processing Division, ARM and TIGA Board Member, commented:
“The gamification going on in the world today is hugely exciting and pretty much anyone with the right tools can innovate and create the next big thing. Our ARM Mali™ graphics processing technology is part of that opportunity – providing stunning user experiences and near-life gaming in a mobile handset. We are looking forward to an exciting event and to seeing how developers will push the limits of technology.”
 
Volker Hirsch, director, global head of business development – games at BlackBerry, said:
“BlackBerry is delighted to be part of the TIGA GameHack event, we’re fully committed to the UK’s game developer community and this an enormously exciting way for people to come together and let creative sparks fly. Game developers are used to working in high tech, highly skilled and often high pressure environments, so I have every confidence they will rise to this challenge too.”
 

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NOTES TO EDITORS
  

More details on each challenge can be found at: www.gamehack.co.uk

 
About TIGA
TIGA is the trade association representing the UK video game industry. The majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have games publishers, 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, profile raising and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
 
 
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.
 
http://www.abertay.ac.uk/
 
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 democratisation 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.
 
For further information, please contact:
 
Dr. Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on: 07875 939 643, or email: richard.wilson@tiga.org 
 
Drew Field, TIGA Communications Director on: 07720 643 344, or email: drew.field@tiga.org

 

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