Dare to be Digital 2010

Funding of £85,700 for Abertay University’s “Dare to be Digital” video games development competition will enable teams from China, India and - for the first time - Scandinavia to participate this year.

With the help of the Scottish Government’s funding and partnership with the British Council and the Norwegian School of Information Technology, “Dare to be Digital” is now inviting applications from teams of four students from India, China, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Each international team taking part will be joined by one Scottish student.

Since it began in 1999, “Dare to be Digital”, organised and promoted by Abertay University in Dundee, has become a leading showcase for talented computer science and arts students in the UK and abroad.

The competition takes place over a 10-week period this summer, with teams of student games programmers and artists battling it out to produce fully-functioning prototypes of their games ideas. The teams receive support from industry members and access to leading-edge technology.

The teams’ efforts are judged by a panel of games industry experts, and also voted on by members of the public at an exhibition staged as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The three winning teams go on to become the sole nominees for the BAFTA “Ones to Watch” Award early next year, a category created specifically for this project.

.Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said:

“The international scope of this project has already built up a network of relationships in India and China. Extending the reach of the project into continental Europe will further enhance Scotland’s digital reputation amongst overseas universities.

“It also provides an excellent platform for students to share knowledge as well as receiving mentoring from video games experts in Scotland.”

Professor Bernard King CBE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Abertay University, welcomed the continuing Government support, saying:

“We are greatly encouraged by and grateful for the Scottish Government’s support. Participation by teams from China, India and Scandinavia will further highlight the international profile not only of Dare to be Digital but also Abertay as the UK’s first centre for excellence in computer games education, and Scotland as a leading player in the global computer games and interactive entertainment industry.

“Diversity encourages enhanced innovation and creativity, and we are sure that the involvement of even more international students this year will create an even richer experience for all the contestants. In addition, the industry mentors and judges will enjoy seeing at first hand an even wider and more impressive array of talent from different countries.”

Background

Dare to be Digital is a video games development competition for undergraduates at Universities and Colleges of Art. Teams of five students, usually a mix of artists, programmers and audio, assemble in the development hothouse for 10 weeks to develop a prototype video game, receiving daily support and weekly training sessions from industry specialists.

At the end of the competition, the prototypes are displayed at a special talent showcasing event in Edinburgh, Dare ProtoPlay, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. The general public as well as industry experts get to play and vote for the games. Prizes are then awarded to the winning teams at a special awards ceremony. Later in the year the winning teams attend the BAFTA Video Games Awards to compete for the coveted "Ones to Watch Award.

For further information please contact

Moyra Peffer: 0131 244 2547 / 07833 402244