Niagara College game students are ready to race against the clock to create a video game in just one weekend, as part of the Global Game Jam.
When the theme of this year’s Global Game Jam is announced on January 31 at 7 p.m., small teams of students and alumni from the College’s game programs will hunker down in computer labs at the Welland Campus and get to work. With only 48 hours to complete their mission, teams will work around the clock until time runs out on Sunday, February 2 at 7 p.m.
NC’s Welland Campus is among more than 930 sites from 119 countries around the world currently registered to participate in this year’s Global Game Jam. Known as the largest game jam in the world, the event aims to be a unique opportunity for participants from any skill level to create, collaborate and practise their game-making skills.
“The Niagara College game development community is incredibly proud to be participating in Global Game Jam 2020,” said Rick Goertz, Game Development program coordinator. “The engagement our students and alumni demonstrate in connecting and collaborating with game developers from around the world for the purpose of sharing their highly creative skills is extraordinary.”
This will be the fifth consecutive year that NC will participate in the event, drawing students from its Game Development program, as well as its two dual-credential Bachelor of Science (Honours) Game Programming and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Game Design programs which are run jointly with Brock University.
Tom Brown, Game Development professor and coordinator for NC’s game jam, noted that this year’s event is expected to draw 65 participants – the largest number to date.
“The students get this intense, compact game development cycle that really puts them to the test of their game development ability. Everyone learns something at the Game Jam, whether that’s putting to practice what they’ve learned from the program or trying something new,” said Brown. “This also gives our students a taste of what it’ll be like in game development after graduation, and a chance to talk with alumni and hear about their experiences.”
For information about the Global Game Jam visit globalgamejam.org/.
The event will take place within the Marilyn I. Walker Centre of Excellence in Visual Arts & Technology, which opened at the Welland Campus in November 2019, thanks to a $1-million-gift to the College’s visual arts and technology programming areas from the estate of artist and philanthropist Marilyn Isabelle Walker. [View release here.]
NC’s three-year intensive Game Development diploma program prepares students for careers in the digital game and interactive media industry. Students learn industry skills such as game programming and scripting, digital art production techniques, game design principles and game production practices.
NC also offers two dual-credential game programs with Brock University. A Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Game Design grants a four-year Bachelor of Arts-Game Design degree from Brock University and a three-year Advanced Diploma in Game Development from NC (completed in four years); a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Game Programming grants a four-year degree from Brock and a three-year Advanced Diploma in Game Development from NC (completed in four years).
