Game design competition comes to London

The UK’s most established computer games design competition for students is coming to London and the Southeast for the first time.

Dare to be Digital 2007 has announced that the host centre for the competition will be the Electronic Arts games development studio in Guildford.
 
This will enable students from London and the South East to compete for cash prizes and improved career prospects.
 
The new centre will be run by a partnership involving the University of Abertay Dundee, where the competition was originated, Electronic Arts, the London Development Agency (LDA), South East Media Network (SEMN) and NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), with support from computer-chip manufacturer AMD.
 
Four teams of five students each will be selected to spend the first nine weeks of the 10-week competition (from June to August) based in Electronic Arts’ UK studio in Guildford.
 
Each team will design and build a fully functioning prototype of their video game idea, receiving financial support and mentoring from games developers in the South East while they are in the competition.
 
The deadline for applications for places in the London and South East centre is 7 May.
 
The London and South East centre is the third of three host centres announced for this year’s contest, the others being in Dundee and Belfast.
 
Dare to be Digital contestants have been known to set up their own development companies or being snapped up by major international games companies such as Rockstar North, Lionhead, Microsoft and Electronic Arts.

A unique opportunity for games designers

Richard Leinfellner, a Vice-President at EA, commented: "Dare to be Digital represents a unique model for showcasing young talent to the UK games industry.
 
"It has acted as a much needed incubator for new talent and one which EA has been proud to be associated with for a number of years.
 
"The Dare model of setting teams up to deliver a real game prototype in 10 weeks is similar to the process we go through when getting games into production."
 
Tom Campbell, head of creative industries at the LDA, said: "There's a great pool of undiscovered talent within London's universities and colleges.
 
"Dare is fantastic at discovering and fostering talent and helping aspiring game developers rise to the surface."
 
In the tenth week of the competition, the teams will travel to Edinburgh to join two teams from north and south Ireland, four from Scotland and two international teams from China and India.
 
The teams will display their prototypes in 'Dare ProtoPlay', a three-day showcase of all the teams’ work, scheduled to take place alongside the Edinburgh Interactive Festival.
 
Dare ProtoPlay, to be held on 12-14 August at Our Dynamic Earth, will enable the general public and industry experts to not only play the games, but to also vote for them.
 
In addition to showcasing the games, Dare ProtoPlay will play a big role in games education, helping parents and children understand the 'behind-the-scenes' features in games creation.
 
They also have the chance to take part in the games creation process itself.
 
Finally, all the teams will gather in Dundee to have their talents and achievements recognised in the Dare to be Digital Awards Ceremony on 16 August.

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