Game on during new digital contest
A new digital event which looks to inspire the next generation of game developers will be taking place in Stoke-on-Trent at the end of May.
Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and Staffordshire University have joined forces to bring to the city centre the Stoke ON TREND GamesJam.
The contest will include hundreds of aspiring programmers and games designers - otherwise known as Jammers - come together to create playable games, each based around one of seven key city centre themes.
From 29 May, large swathes of Staffordshire University 's 2,000-strong games department, and anyone else with an interest in participating, so long as they are aged 16 or over and either at school college or university, will join in online for an intensive seven-day period to generate new and exciting video games which celebrate the culture and heritage of Stoke-on-Trent City Centre.
The plethora of new games developed within the GamesJam will then be made available to play on smartphones by anyone visiting the city centre via QR codes located at the corresponding themes ' location from Saturday 19 June to Sunday July 11.
Those playing the games will be encouraged to rate the games via their phones and at the end of the three-week 'Play ' period, the person or group behind the top-rated game will win an incredible prize that could kickstart a lucrative future in game development.
Laura Morris, BID director for the Entertainment Sector and Project Manager of Stoke ON TREND GamesJam 2021, hopes will bring a refreshed new audience to the city centre, keen to explore its offering in a unique, digital way.
She said: “The involvement from our BID Businesses will be key to making the GamesJam a success by increasing the dwell time of our visitors.
“As well as QR codes opening up fun mobile games to be played out and about, there will be a number of additional 'surprise ' QR codes located in various spots around the city centre that allow the mobile user to access discounts and freebies to be redeemable at a number of venues. ”