This year, our annual University GameJam was held online for the first time in its 12-year history in response to the pandemic.
During the week of 15–19 June 2020, 30 teams – comprising almost 100 students, Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) staff and alumni, and industry professionals – developed computer games based on at least one of the following themes:
The event was run on Discord, led by School of Creative Technologies technician Clifford Phillips and fellow staff members Richard Milbourne, Paul Nelson, Luke Robertson and Neil Dansey.
On the final day, the 30 games were tested by industry judges from Supermassive Games, Funfair.io and Apache, plus CCI games experts Theresa Bassey-Effiok and Toni Atanasova. The closing ceremony was streamed live on University GameJam's official Twitch channel, where the jury handed out awards for the best games in numerous categories.
The winners
First-year BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology team, Team Incredibogs, swept the board by seizing Best Game Design, People's Choice and the much-coveted Best Overall Game.
BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology alumnus Joe Shanahan – winner of Most Helpful Person – has taken part in GameJam for the last few years and has won awards in previous editions. Last year, he helped then-Fareham College student Amy Elliot enter the competition, with further help from Fareham College stuff. Amy has since taken part in other challenges with Joe, and will start our BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology course this year – a journey that our School of Creative Technologies staff hope will repeat amongst other college-age students.
Check out the other winners below.
- Best Adaptation of the Theme: Team Long Neck Fellas (Honourable Mention: Squadward)
- Best Use of Technology: Teamimuz (Honourable Mention: Team Firewire)
- Best Engagement with Themes of Diversity and Inclusivity: Team Penhale Games (Honourable Mention: Infinite Vertex and Squadward)
- Most Ambitious Idea: Remote Tarantulas (Honourable Mention: Ubihard)
- Best Looking Game: Eldritch Screaming
- Best Audio: Numbskull Studios
- Best Game Design: Incredibogs
- Best Overall Game Joint Winners: Incredibogs, Eldritch Screaming (Honourable Mention: Burgundy Moonlight)
- People's Choice: Incredibogs
- Most Helpful Person: Joe Shanahan
Featured teams members
- Burgundy Moonlight: Matthew Johnson; Harrison Gowland
- Eldritch Screaming: Ellis Carter; Boyan Dimitrov; Mathew Pembleton; Benedict Targett
- Incredibogs: Kian Bennett; Vic Primmer; Elliot Jermy; Emily Everett
- Infinite Vertex: Stephen Smith; Ben Lavender; Alexander Terry; Ollie Plaatsman; Erin Somervail; Siddhesh Swamy
- Numbskull Studios: Curtis Hall; James Kelly; Joshua Ybanez; Michael Burdge; Ryan Evans; Stefan Plamenov Yordanov; William Leggatt; Joshua Westmore
- Remote Tarantulas: Marin Mitev; Oliver Thauerer; Teodora Petkova; Daniel Dimitrov
- Squadward: Prisha Gellaboina; Owain Thomas; Brad Atkins; Ricky James; Lucy Adams
- Team Firewire: Mantas Ruigys; Teodor Sava; Patrycja Poczkai; Connor O’Brien
- Team Long Neck Fellas: Luis Venceslau; Sam Hunt; Tiernan McCarthy; Viktor Janpaulis
- Team Penhale Games: Mikolaj Brzuchalski; Alex Jarrett
- Teamimuz: Joshua Edwards; Emma Winters
- Ubihard: Cameron Millar; Ben Darby; Dean Harris
Visit the University GameJam site to find out more about the event and how to take part – and clear a slot in your calendar for the 2021 edition.