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London, UK - 8th April 2021
University students from across the country have been competing to be crowned the country’s finest game designer with the winner being announced today. The Games Innovation Challenge was delivered by NSE (National Student Esports), the official body for university esports in the UK, and presented by Barclays who have a number of supportive initiatives in the games and esports sector.
Students were given nine weeks to create the most innovative game, structured around the theme of competition with the submitted entries being judged against technical quality, look and feel, entertainment, innovation and a competition plan.
More than twenty games were submitted for the final assessment with the University of Birmingham entry ‘Blade’ taking top spot. Blade is a 2D fast-paced 1v1 PvP Battle Arena game and the judges highlighted it’s easy to grasp yet hard to master gameplay paired with high entertainment value. Second went to the University of York entry ‘Zen Tower’, a multiplayer physics-based free-for-all competitive brawler. While third place went to University of Arts London entry ‘Found Guys VS’, a multiplayer game inspired by the old TV game show called Finders Keepers with the aim to find items in a room.
The work was assessed by an illustrious panel of video games, esports, and technology experts comprising of Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO Ukie; Will Attwood, Marketing Esports Manager, Ubisoft; Stuart Muckley, CEO, Code Wizards; Steve Augustine, Director of Consumer Software Marketing and Experience, Intel; Matthew Colclough, Esports lead within Barclays Games and Esports Team; and Becky Wright, Social Media & Community Manager, NSE.
The successful student teams will share in the prize pool of £5,000 and more importantly will benefit from the exposure to the judges and wider industry. Plus, the entrants gained from improving both their technical and social skills throughout the process.
NSE exists to elevate students’ university esports experience, helping them now and in their future careers. As the largest grassroots gaming community in the UK, the students have a vast array of interests and future career aspirations. 70% of the students are studying STEM subjects at university making them describe graduates in today’s recruitment market.
Barclays plays a pivotal role in supporting the students and their interest in the games and esports sector. The bank is also a partner of NSE’s leading tournament the British University Esports Championship, as well as sponsoring other esports tournaments such as the UKLC and the ePL.
Barclays Head of
Games & Esports, David Gowans said:
“We
are here to support the esports industry in the best way we can. Working with
NSE on the Games Innovation Challenge we can champion and develop the talents
this vibrant community has to offer. It’s also a brilliant opportunity for us
to learn from them and make sure we are best prepared to deliver for them now
and in the future”.
NSE Managing Director, Alex Coulson, added: “Esports is often the number one attraction for our community but we know that their interests and especially their skills often go way beyond this core foundation. The students we see take part in NSE activities are an incredibly talented, enthusiastic, and collaborative collection of young men and women - we are lucky to work with them on a daily basis.”