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.
This year, thanks to event partner, Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, there will be a sister TIGA GameHack event taking place in England at the same time, with the same categories, and the same 24-hour creative pressure.
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.uk. To 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.”
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.
This year, thanks to event partner, Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, there will be a sister TIGA GameHack event taking place in England at the same time, with the same categories, and the same 24-hour creative pressure.
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.uk. To 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.”