Member Article

Yorkshire gaming industry in the spotlight with Le Tour design challenge

Aspiring games developers will have just 48 hours to create an engaging Tour de France themed video game at a unique joint event in Leeds and Sheffield next month.

Teams from Leeds Metropolitan and Sheffield Hallam universities, as well as Platform Expos and Jagex, will be amongst those competing against the clock to showcase their prowess in Le Game Jam. They will also be on hand to host and support others as they aim to secure the overall prize.

Organiser Jamie Sefton, managing director of Game Republic, a games network that supports Yorkshire companies involved in the industry, is remaining tight-lipped about the final brief but suggests: “It may have something to do with Le Tour.”

The event, which is sponsored by leading games companies like Autodesk, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Sumo Digital, Jagex and Dubit Ltd, will be launched on 2 July, with the winner selected by a panel of industry experts and a live audience at The Carriageworks in Leeds two days later.

Jamie explained: “This is going to be a great event. Not only are the developers going to be against the clock, which is a huge challenge in itself, but we will be assessing competitors against their interpretation of the brief. So it’s also a test of creativity and imagination to create a fun prize-winning game.”

“We’re providing a platform for promoting new industry talent, encouraging collaboration and ultimately raising the profile of the UK games industry, which contributes almost £950 million to the national economy and employs some 9,000 people. Hopefully the event will also encourage people to find out about a career in games.”

Le Game Jam forms part of the Grand Depart International Business Festival, a bumper programme of events and activity organised by UK Trade & Investment, Welcome to Yorkshire and partners to promote Yorkshire’s strengths across a broad spectrum of business sectors.

UKTI regional director Mark Robson is looking forward to seeing the final game concepts. He commented: “The UK is a global player in the games industry, and a number of regional companies are leading the way with their superb creative and design skills.

“That includes the teams at Leeds Met and Sheffield Hallam who are ensuring we stay at the forefront if technology as well as nurturing developers of the future. I am intrigued to see what is produced at the end of what promises to be a fascinating couple of days.”

Anyone interested in joining Jamie and Mark at the final can book a free place through HYPERLINK “http://www.legamejam.eventbrite.co.uk” www.legamejam.eventbrite.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .