MEDIA INFORMATION Monday 9th February, 2015 MORAY GAME JAM, 2015 Moray College UHI Moray Street, Elgin, Moray IV30 1JJ Friday 20th March Sunday 22nd March www.moraygamejam.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/moraygamejam Twitter: @moraygamejam WANTED: NEW AND OLD SCHOOL-STYLE GAMES DEVELOPERS FOR SECOND MORAY GAME JAM Makers of traditional board games are being invited to compete alongside cutting-edge video games makers in a 48-hour-long game jam due to take place in Elgin next month over a single weekend. Building on the success of last year s inaugural Moray Game Jam, Moray College UHI is set to host Moray Game Jam 2015 from Friday 20th March to Sunday 22nd March. In the space of 48 hours, teams will design, develop, create and test a new game with the hope of turning it into a commercial success. Teams of up to five people are being sought now by the game jam organisers. Members should be over 16 and a bespoke dating service will be offered to solo entrants looking to pair up with like-minded gamers to create a brand new game. The winning video game team will win the opportunity to be mentored by Elgin-based Hunted Cow Studios, while the triumphant board game team will be offered the chance to work with California-based Victory Point Games. This year, the organisers of Moray Game Jam are also offering workshops led by industry experts, which are completely free and open for members of the public to attend. There is no age-restriction on attending these workshops. At these workshops, experienced users of leading game-making software packages Blender, YoYo GameMaker Studio and Unity will introduce people to ways in which they can make the software work when it comes to making their own video games. Alan Emrich of Victory Point Games will also lead a board game development Masterclass. Last year s Moray Game Jam, which was supported by Scotland-wide arts funding body, Creative Scotland, was won by Power Punch Studios, a collaboration between five aspiring game developers from Abertay University. They came together for the Moray Game Jam to see if they could work as a team, and worked over the summer months last year with Hunted Cow. Power Punch team member, Natasha Singh, said: We are very grateful to ScreenHI, Creative Scotland and Hunted Cow Studios for the support they gave us during this
journey which, thanks to them, was made possible. We d recommend participating in the next Moray Game Jam to anyone especially teams who want the experience of working together for the first time. Working over an intense period of time can really make or break a team. Plus, the event was so well organised and provided teams with a safe and comfortable working environment; we cannot recommend it enough. Andrew Mulholland of Hunted Cow Studios said: We're pleased to be involved in this year s Game Jam which is shaping up to be even bigger and better than last year s! With the addition of the master-classes from industry veterans and the board game category, the event will have a much broader appeal for anyone with an interest in physical and digital game design and development. Applications to the Moray Game Jam will open on Friday 13 th February via Moray Game Jam website, www.moraygamejam.com, and close on Wednesday 11th March 2015. The Moray Game Jam is open to students and professionals across Scotland. The event reprises the partnership between Moray College UHI, creative industries support body ScreenHi, Creative Scotland and Elgin-based games publisher Hunted Cow Studios. The Moray Game Jam is supported by industry experts, with judges following the team s progress throughout the competition, observing talent and advising competitors. On this year s panel are; Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network, Phil Harris, games industry advisor and writer, Andrew Mulholland, co-director of Hunted Cow Studios and Alan Emrich of California-based Victory Point Games. Amanda Millen of Highlands and Islands screen and broadcast support body, ScreenHI, said: Skills development is a key focus to grow the games industry, so the Moray Game Jam 2015 will again offer competitors useful skills-driven prizes. Having Hunted Cow Studios based in Elgin is a real boon to the local economy and a shining example of screen and broadcast-based indigenous talent remaining in the Highlands and Islands. Game Jams allow competitors to apply their skills in an environment similar to a real work situation, providing a bridge to industry. Last year Lub vs Dub, developed during a game jam, went on to win a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award and was selected as App of the Week, which led to promotion in Starbucks across the United States and Canada. Gary Groves, Moray College UHI Interactive Media Lecturer, said: Last year s Game Jam was a great opportunity for our students to gain experience either participating or volunteering to help run the event. Competitors visiting the Game Jam from other parts of Scotland felt it wasn t too big, had excellent facilities, was well organised and most importantly was friendly and fun with the freedom to create. Participants are being encouraged to follow Moray Game Jam on Facebook and Twitter for updates, and to connect and create teams. Welcome refreshments will be provided by the Moray Game Jam organisers.
EDITOR S NOTES JUDGING PANEL Brian Baglow - Games Industry Expert Founder and Director at Scottish Games Network Committee Member at BAFTA In Scotland The convergence between games and the rest of the creative world is going to create entirely new types of experience. Brian Baglow works with and represents the games industry in Scotland, helping it to evolve and work more closely with the rest of the creative industries. He sees interactive media as being about much more than games, apps or digital art. It s a transformative technology that is fundamentally changing every aspect of the creative industries, he says. From the way they re created and distributed through to the way they re monetised, consumed and even the way people experience them. Phil Harris - Games Industry Advisor Games Content Developer at One Thumb Mobile Staff Writer at Scottish Times Phil Harris works as a Games Content Developer with One Thumb Mobile, working on their Celtic Heroes Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). He is developing his own tabletop roleplaying game, creating the background history for Pyre Studios upcoming board game Inevitable Betrayal, writing for online magazine Pixels for Breakfast and playing an active role engaging and talking about the games industry. Phil used to be Editor-in-Chief of Square-Go, an online magazine which he took from just over 1000 readers a month to 33,000. Andrew Mulholland - Co-Director, Hunted Cow Studios Ltd Director at Hunted Cow Studios Ltd Andrew Mulholland graduated from Abertay University in 2003 after studying Computer Games Technology and went on to form Hunted Cow Studios with Glenn Murphy. He has over 10 years experience in the industry and has helped bring successful games such as Gothador and Fallen Sword to market. Alan Emrich Victory Point Games Founder http://www.victorypointgames.com/about-victory-point-games/ about us section: Most great game ideas begin with an impassioned gamer thinking about a game and saying, Wouldn t it be cool if? Victory Point Games came about in much the same way. Working with aspiring and veteran designers, combined with a print on demand model, Victory Point Games takes on cutting edge game ideas that no one else dares to even look at. Today, Victory Point Games has grown into a full-fledged team of talented game developers. Each of us brings our own thoughts and hard work to the table, producing a company that is among the most diligent, tight-knit, and unashamedly quirky in the board
game industry. Working with gamers, for gamers, and as gamers ourselves, we couldn t ask for a better way to be spending our time. We firmly believe that it is the people you get to work with that makes the game industry so great. About ScreenHI ScreenHI is headed up by Amanda Millen, who is also director of the annual creative industries festival, XpoNorth. ScreenHI is the Screen and Broadcast Industry Network for the Highlands and Islands and has been operating for four years. It offers experiences, job opportunities and industry networking to screen and broadcast businesses in the Highlands & Islands. About Hunted Cow Studios Hunted Cow Studios is a leading game developer and publisher which was founded in 2003 with the goal of producing fun and accessible games, but with a layer of deeper and engaging gameplay for experienced players. Their most popular browser game is Fallen Sword which has attracted over four million players since its launch in 2006. About Moray College UHI Moray College UHI has been developing and expanding its range of courses since the inception of the University of the Highlands and Islands in 2011. The status of university provides greater opportunities for the college to develop its research activities and contacts with local industry. The new Moray Life Science Centre, known as the Alexander Graham Bell Centre, is a recent addition to Moray College UHI. This 6.5 million project funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, NHS Grampian, European Regional Development Fund and Moray College UHI will provide facilities for, and expertise in, life science research and education bringing together academia, research and business under one roof. The college offers a broad range of courses covering many subject areas which is continually expanding, particularly within the Higher Education sector and prospective students can now study up to Masters and PHD level. The college also continues to offer courses from pre- employment training through all levels of Further Education. This ensures that locally, prospective students can access education at any level to match requirements, abilities and qualifications. Many courses are offered on a flexible, part-time as well as a full-time basis to suit students learning needs. Many students want to improve their qualifications or skills in order to gain employment or to improve their employment prospects. Others want to study for a qualification that they intend to use as a stepping stone to a higher qualification. Some will register for courses simply for leisure and interest. Moray College UHI can offer it all. About Creative Scotland Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits Scotland. It enables people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. It distributes funding from the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A Game Jam is a competition to create a new video game and in some cases a board game). It usually involves the coming together of groups of individuals with an interest in or experience of video gaming either through programming or design. Usually entering in teams, participants will not be aware of the theme until they arrive at the competition, the structure of which is common throughout the world. Teams meet on a Friday afternoon and spend 48 hours creating a new idea/concept based on the theme of the specific games jam. A game jam may be centred around a theme, which all games developed within the jam must adhere to. The theme is usually announced shortly before the event begins, in order to discourage participants from planning for the event beforehand and from using previously-developed material. Themes are meant to place restrictions on developers, which encourages creativity. Photo opportunity available. For more information: Jacqui Taylor Head of Marketing and External Relations Moray College UHI 01343 576425 Jacqui.taylor.moray@uhi.ac.uk Andrew Mulholland Director Hunted Cow Studios Ltd 01343 559083 andrew@huntedcow.com Jan Patience Press & PR screenhi & XpoNorth 07802 427207janpatience@me.com