Entrants in Abertay University’s computer games competition heard about the success of a previous winner yesterday.
Sophia George started her career thanks to Dare to be Digital, with her team scooping the top spot in 2011 thanks to their family-friendly puzzle Tick Tock Toys.
She has since become the first games designer in residence at London’s V&A Museum, which is supporting the £45 million V&A-branded design museum being built at Dundee waterfront.
Sophia is working at Abertay, building a game inspired by six months of research in the V&A’s Britain 1500-1900 galleries.
The game explores the designs of William Morris and lets each player create new patterns using his work.
She said: “Dare to be Digital was the first opportunity I had to work with a team to build a complete game, and it changed my life.
“All of the 15 teams who are spending the summer at Abertay University building a brand-new game face an incredibly tough challenge but, when they put their games on show at the Dare ProtoPlay festival in August, they will be ready for a career in games.
“I wish them all the very best of luck, and look forward to seeing 15 creative, exciting and inspiring games take shape over the next eight weeks.”
Hundreds of students from all over the world applied to take part in this year’s event. An expert panel picked the 15 five-student teams who will compete, with overseas entrants coming from China, India, Malta and the USA.
Professor Louis Natanson, head of Abertay’s school of arts, media and computer games, said: “Abertay University has always been committed to giving students real-life experience for a career in the computer games industry and Dare to be Digital is a great example of this.
“Many of these students won’t have had the chance to build a complete game before but at the end of these eight weeks they’ll leave with a major piece of work and invaluable professional contacts.”
The three winning teams from the competition will be nominees for a Bafta Ones to Watch Award.