Students show-off need for speed with games design challenge at Silverstone Museum

The next generation of video game creators have battled it out to be crowned victors during University of Northampton’s annual Summer Game Jam.

Last Tuesday (27 May), students were given just three days to design and develop a multiplayer game from scratch that could be played on a wall-mounted interactive touch screen at Silverstone Museum.

With ‘racing-themed’ as the only requirement, the student teams were given full creative freedom to unleash their creativity and technical skills to create an interactive multiplayer game which could be played on the big screen by members of the public.

The six teams of Games Design, Games Art and Games Programming students put their skills to the test to leave the other teams in their dust to claim the ‘Best Game Overall’ trophy.

On Friday (30 May), the students presented their games to representatives including Phil Lawrie (Chief Executive Officer, Silverstone Museum), Richard Priest (Senior Simulation Terrain Modeller at Red Bull Racing & Red Bull Technology), and Stephanie Sykes-Dugmore (Head of Collection and Research, Silverstone Museum).

Individual awards were presented to each of the teams for excelling within the following categories:

• Best Game Overall: S1LV3R – First-person racing driving simulator set on the legendary Silverstone circuit, where a whole team of people must come together to drive the same car. Created by students Alistair Bonham, Kyle Brewer, Thomas Giles, Sammy Fong, Markus Turcitu and Elizia Pereira. The final game is available to play here.
• Most Innovative Concept: Pit Stop – Two teams compete against each other to complete the fastest pit-stop and attempt to top the leader board. The final game is available to play here.
• Best Visuals: SilverStone Racers – A four player game where each player contributes to drawing the racing track. Once you finish creating a challenging course, avoid obstacles and be the first to reach the finish line.
• Best Audio: Rough Racer – Race along an infinite track trying to dodge obstacles by changing lanes. The final game is available to play here.

The Games Jam is a voluntary event that benefits students by allowing them to expand their portfolio and, for the Games Art students, to step into art styles they might not usually encounter.

Senior Lecturer in Games Design, Vikaas Mistry said: “The bi-annual Game Jam is a real calendar highlight for our gaming courses, and I’m as impressed with these teams as ever for the creative flair and design initiative they demonstrated.

“When we set these challenges, we’re really looking to push their creative boundaries and encourage them to think outside the box, and Silverstone Museum have offered our students a unique opportunity. Not only do they need to design and build a game for a screen which is almost 50 times the size of a TV or laptop, they also need to factor in touch-screen interactivity, suitability for both adults and children, as well as being easy and quick to understand – entirely made within less than three days.”

Stephanie Sykes-Dugmore, Head of Collection and Research at the Silverstone Museum, said: “It has been a fantastic day, and we’re incredibly pleased with the games the students have created. The museum’s core objective is all about inspiring the next generation of motorsport, and gaming plays a real part in that. They’ve demonstrated real innovation, fully understood the brief and delivered an impressing array of games which drew a crowd on the day.

“This Games Jam has offered a real opportunity for us to foster a closer partnership with the University of Northampton, and to progress the games created (and perhaps see some featuring at the museum in the near future!).”

Game Design Programme Lead, David Nicholls added: “The Game Jam gives students a great career development opportunity, gives them an edge on their CV and they can use it in their portfolios. We’re already planning ahead to the next Winter Game Jam, and we can’t wait to see where the next set of team’s creativity takes them.”

Find out more about studying Games Design, Games Art and Games Programming at the University of Northampton.