Internationally video game development competition and talent development programme
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Dare to be Digital is a video games design competition targeted at university students and recent graduates, started by and held at Abertay University, Scotland since 2000.
Teams (typically of 5 university undergraduates or fresh graduates) work together in a microcosm of a games development company at their home or within their home university to develop a prototype of a new video game. Teams have 9 weeks from the start of the competition to finish their game although it can be in production for up to a year prior to starting.[1]
The main objective is to help students gain real life working experience as a multi-disciplinary group. Mentoring support is provided by game industry professionals. The competition culminates at Dare Protoplay, an indie games festival in which the games made by Dare Contestants are the main event and can be voted on by the public. Entrants are provided free accommodation for the duration of Dare Protoplay by Abertay University.
Entrance to the competition is based upon each team's ability and the nature of the game concept. This is measured against three criteria: creativity, market potential, and use of technology. Applications for Dare to be Digital are assessed by members of Dare to be Digital's "Developer Accord", consisting entirely of representatives from the games industry. These representatives will also interview the teams before making a decision on which teams will take part that year.
These criteria are also used to decide the three winning teams, who go through to be nominated for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award. Additional awards are given by sponsors, such as Channel 4, Design in Action and Intel, as well as an audience and team choice awards based on public and team votes respectively.
BAFTA Ones To Watch Award
The three winning teams of Dare to be Digital form the sole nominees of a BAFTA Ones To Watch Award as of 2007.
Building on the final phase of Dare to be Digital, Dare ProtoPlay, a video game and consumer event, takes place over 3 days in August every year. After the competition ends the teams demonstrate their titles at Dare ProtoPlay, formerly held at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival until 2010 but now at the Caird Hall in Dundee. This free event is open to the general public.
13,000 visitors visited Dare ProtoPlay 2013. Dare 2014 was held on 7–10 August in Dundee City Square and Caird Hall.
History
In 1999, an idea was developed within the University of Abertay Dundee, who were one of the global pioneers in academic courses for video games development. In 2000, it was opened to all university students across Scotland.
Different development models were tested with involvement from international teams who came from Japan, Canada, China, India and Malaysia, where a trial host centre model was carried out.
With industry and government support, the contest opened parallel host centres across the UK as of 2007, in Belfast and Electronic Arts office in Guildford. It has since been opened up to all UK and Irish universities and selected international partners, with all teams now being hosted in the University of Abertay Dundee.
Awards and recognitions
2014 Winner of Develop Talent Investment Award [3]
2011 Livingstone-Hope Review of Video Games and Visual Effects Next Gen. (2011) Dare to be Digital was singled out and cited in one of the 20 recommendations as a template for the UK education: Develop a template for introducing workshop simulation into industry-accredited video games and visual effects courses, based on Abertay University’s Dare to be Digital competition.[4]
2009 Demanding Growth: Why the UK needs a recovery plan based on growth and innovation (2009) & Demanding Growth in Scotland: Why Scotland needs a recovery plan based on growth and innovation (2009) Rolling out of student placements such as the highly successful Dare to be Digital prototype competition across the UK. This initiative, sponsored by the University of Abertay in Dundee, provides talented students with the opportunity to showcase their creativity and skills in front of prospective employers. Wider use of placements encourages HEIs to simulate the workplace environment more successfully.[5]
2008 Winner of Develop Edu New Talent Award
2007 Playing for Keeps – challenges to sustaining a world-class UK games sector (2007) The exception to the rule is Abertay University’s Dare to be Digital competition (DTBD), which funds teams of students to develop prototype game engines and playable levels of games in a ten-week intensive course. The resulting games are then judged by a panel of industry specialists and small cash prizes are given based on a range of awards from ‘most commercially viable’ to ‘best use of technology’. The resulting games, their excellence and their creator’s employability have shown the industry the creativity and ingenuity of the new talent emerging from the handful of UK universities so far involved. 25 out of 46 current courses have contributed entrants to date, and 80 per cent of Dare’s participants win jobs in the industry after competing.[6]
12 teams took part in Dare 2007, including BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees Care Box for their game 'Climbactic' (Edinburgh University), Phoenix Seed for 'Bear Go Home' (Peking University and the University of Abertay Dundee) and Voodoo Boogy for 'Ragnarawk' who ultimately won the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award.
Dare 2008
There were 17 teams taking part in Dare 2008, including BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees Blue Skies for their game ‘Origamee’ (Abertay University), Ctrl_D for ‘VegeMe’(Peking University) and DarkMatter Designs for ‘Boro-Toro’, with the latter team winning.[7]
Dare 2009
14 teams took part in 2009. The competition went more international with students coming from Canada, England, India, China, Northern Ireland, The Irish Republic, Norway, Scotland and Wales. The BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees were Colour-coded by PixelPirates[8] (University of Abertay Dundee), Quick as Thieves by Gentlemen of Fortune[9] (University of Abertay Dundee) and Shrunk by The Butterflyers[10] (University of Abertay Dundee) who won the award.
Dare 2010
15 teams took part in 2010, coming from China, England, India, Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, USA and Wales. The three BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees were Angry Mango for their game 'Mush' (University of Wales, Newport), Team Tickle for 'Sculpty' (Abertay University) and That Game Studio for 'Twang', who ultimately won the award.
Awards
Prize winners were 'Bears with Jetpacks' for their game 'Grrr!' who won the "Adult Swim" sponsored award for innovation and creativity.
The Teams-Choice award went to Bazooka Duck, who also won the Intel Visual Adrenaline Award, and That Games Studio won the public choice award.
Media coverage
Dare 2010 was the focus of a 3 part documentary series filmed for, and screened by Channel 4 in the UK.[11] Named 'Crunchtime[12]' the series featured several teams during the development of their games and the Protoplay exhibition.
Team
Game
Format
Country
Abnormal Creations
The Inkwell Chronicles
Wii
UK
Angry Mango
Mush
Windows Mobile
Wales
Bazooka Duck
Epoch Defence
PC
UK
Bears with Jetpacks
Grrr!
Wii
UK
Creative Genius
Silent Symphony
PC
UK
eleMENTAL
Weatherman
Xbox 360
Scotland
Gazhab
Chayya
Xbox 360
India
Grimnir Games
Death Inc.
PSP
UK
King of Dice
Dice Rolling
PC
China
Nevermind Games
WiiKick
Wii
Ireland
Ramblin' Wreckage
Hella Umbrella
Android
USA
Shark on a Bike
Dyed World
Xbox 360
Scotland
Team Tickle
Sculpty
iPad
Scotland
That Games Studio
Twang
Xbox 360
Sweden
Various Artists
Legendary Crusaders
PC
UK
Dare 2011
Dare 2011 had 15 participating teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, India, Denmark and China.[13]
Team
Game
Format
Country
A Necessary Evil
Carne Carne
PC
UK
Ape-y Eyes
Paper Quest
Kinect
UK
Crispy Nugget Studios
Galaxy Guardians
Kinect
UK
Digital Hazards
Shadow Light
PC
UK
Digital Knights
Joust it Out!
Kinect
Denmark
Evolved Ape
Dreamweaver
PC
UK
Faraway Games
Aida
iPad
UK
Fatdog Games
The Tale of Yog
iPad
UK
FunBox
Ants the Lost Memories
PC
India
Furnace Games
Scorcher
Kinect
UK
Rebel Donut
Plunder in the Jungle
Windows Phone 7
UK
Swallowtail
Tick Tock Toys
iPad
UK
Tea and Techno
Full English Fusion
Windows Phone 7
UK
The Weather Factory
The Balloonist
iPad
Ireland
Yummy Tummy
Who is the Lucky Ghost?
iPhone
China
Dare 2012
Dare 2012 had 15 participating teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, India, Finland, Israel, Spain and China.
Team
Game
Format
Country
Caracol Games
Slick!
PC
UK
CLOCKinROCK
Liminal Magibrawl
Kinect
Ireland
Fortified
Castle Crusade
iPad
UK
Dapper Hat Games
Mr. Montgomery's Debonair Facial Hair
iPad
UK
Gastank Games
Interstate Outlaws
Kinect
UK
Ideer
Colour Captain
iPad
China
Kind of a Big deal
Starcrossed
Windows phone 7
Finland
LazzyBrains
What A Day: The Story of a fisher-worm
iPad
India
Loan Wolf Games
Pixel Story
PC
UK
Mad Rocket Games
Ready, Steady, Roll!
Android Tablet
UK
Must Make Games
Badgers vs. Turtles
iPad/iPhone
UK
Raptor Games
Project Thanatos
PC/Sensics zSight Headset
UK
Team Faceplant
GravTech
PC
UK
Team-Iso
IsoChronous
PC
Spain
The Nuclear Duck
Marcelo
Kinect
Israel
Awards 2012
BAFTA "Ones to Watch Award" Nominations
- Starcrossed, for Windows Phone 7 by Kind of a Big Deal
- Pixel Story, for PC by Loan Wolf Games
- Project Thanatos, for PC and virtual reality headset by Raptor Games
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