Students interested in computer games design gathered recently to participate in a Games Jam and end of year Showcase and Awards in the Digital Futures Lab at the University of West London (UWL).
For the Games Jam, teams of students from the London School of Film Media and Design (LSFMD), School of Computing and Engineering (SCE) and London College of Music (LCM) were given seven days to work together to create a brand-new game on the theme ‘time.’
Dr Malte Ressin, Course Lead for the BSc Computer Games Technology, explained, “Time is a good theme because it allows you to do something with the game mechanic if you so choose, but it also allows you to do something about the setting and the mood.”
Prizes for the winners included a glass trophy, a Staff Key from computer game company SEGA (unlocking their entire catalogue) and a monitor from world-leading gaming brand MSI. All participants also received MSI merchandise and a SEGA game key for a title of their choosing.
“A Games Jam is a chance to work with different people, prove their mettle and win cool prizes. explains Ryan Callard, who teaches on the BSc (Hons) Games, Design and Animation course at LSFMD. “The Digital Futures Lab is incredibly well outfitted. It has some amazing machines and good spaces for working in.”
“We’re big fans of this university,” said Senior Security Analyst at Sega Europe Cedric Van Dorpe. “It was an amazing opportunity, as an UWL alumnus, to see how I can help and prepare the next generation of game developers. Maybe they will join us at SEGA one day.”
First place was ‘Team Olympus’ whose game ‘Eris the Time Thief’ involved playing as a time goddess who has stolen the hourglass which belongs to Chronos, a personification of time in Greek mythology. “You have the ability to stop time in our 2D platformer game,” explained Team Leader and Artist Lawrence. His teammates were composer and level designer Caelan, artist Francesco, and programmers Craig and Aleks.
Second place was ‘Spicy Meatballs,’ whose game ‘Hey Boss’ is about a man who gets kidnapped and sent back to the 1920s by a mafia boss. Team members were leader and programmer Koray, artists Rory and Dalia, programmer Yusuf, and UI designer Khaled.
Third place was ‘Timeless Suffering’ for their game ‘Grimloop’ in which the player keeps being reset, getting stronger each time. “I have learned a lot from this jam, trying new, different things,” explained artist Cass whose teammates were leader and UI programmer Mark, programmer Marv, artist Raheem and audio designer Mikhail.
Following the Games Jam, students participated in an end of year Showcase and Awards ceremony as a celebration of game development at UWL.
