Student team Thunder Lime has been crowned the winner of Abertay University’s 2018 Dare Academy video games design competition.
A panel of industry judges ran the rule over the six finalists at the EGX games conference in Birmingham, with the winners scooping top prize of a funded trip to exhibit their game Kinoko at the massive Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this coming March.
The annual Dare Academy competition sees Abertay students devise, conceptualise and create games over a six-month period, with previous finalists enjoying both commercial success and critical acclaim.
All six of this year’s teams have been given their own stalls at EGX – the UK’s biggest games expo - and have received mentoring and support from professionals from leading games organisations throughout the contest, including Sony, Tag Games, YoYo Games and Ninja Kiwi.
Kinoko, which focuses on relaxation as players direct the title character in his mission to clear a beautiful forest of winter into the new spring season, stood out for the judges, who said all entries were of an extremely high standard.
Chris Trewartha from YoYo Games, who presented the award said: “All of the Dare Academy 2018 finalists have done well to get to this stage, with such a talented field emerging at the start of the competition.
“I’m delighted for Thunder Lime and wish them and their peers every success with taking their games to the next level.”
Robert Henning, a former Abertay graduate and co-founder of Tag Games, added: “The range and depth of entries was particularly impressive this year and it’s great to see such polished and considered games getting the exposure that they deserve.”
Emelie Edholm of winning team Thunder Lime said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win. Having worked next to all the teams over the last six months we know how tough it’s been to just get here.
“We’d like to thank the mentors and our Dare Academy sponsors for all their support throughout the competition - it’s been a brilliant experience.”
Abertay University is ranked number one in Europe for games courses and was first in the world to offer games degrees.
2018 teams include:
Cation Games: Sketchtown Showdown is a creative party game where players draw their way to victory. The game is played entirely using the touch input of a smartphone. You sketch your own character before sending them into the “showdown” where they'll need to draw platforms, ski slopes, groceries and more in order to be crowned champion.
Technofluid Games: Physic is a level based puzzle which draws inspiration from smash hit games Portal and Qube and cult cartoon Rick & Morty. You play as eccentric inventor Dr Muucav, whose latest invention the “Physics Assimlating Suction and Transferring Apparatus” (or P.A.S.T.A) has been requested to be tested by a race of intra-dimensional beings.
Soda Float: Obsol33t is a game which sees the player take up the role of Jaison, a wheelchair user who tries to navigate his way through puzzles and challenges, conveying the day-to-day difficulties that those in a wheelchair face. The player sits in a wheelchair and uses two mouse-rollers to replicate the arm motion of wheelchair-user.
Thunder Lime Games: Kinoko focusses on relaxation as you direct the title character in his mission to clear a beautiful forest of winter into the new spring season. The objective is to explore the environment, identifying key areas to interact with and transform the land.
Aetherfall Games: Only Shadows is a first-person exploration that sees an unknown casualty of warfare tracing their steps through broken paths that conflict leaves behind. Journeying through time-shifting levels and psychedelic puzzles, the game demonstrates the psychological impact of war.
Zero Qualms: Vox Racers! is a rapid racing game taking inspiration from the teams’ favourite arcade games of the past. The game focuses on the fluidity of the racer’s controls and attempts to recreate retro racing arcade games, but with a modern twist.
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A panel of industry judges ran the rule over the six finalists at the EGX games conference in Birmingham, with the winners scooping top prize of a funded trip to exhibit their game Kinoko at the massive Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this coming March.
The annual Dare Academy competition sees Abertay students devise, conceptualise and create games over a six-month period, with previous finalists enjoying both commercial success and critical acclaim.
 |
| Dare Academy teams |
All six of this year’s teams have been given their own stalls at EGX – the UK’s biggest games expo - and have received mentoring and support from professionals from leading games organisations throughout the contest, including Sony, Tag Games, YoYo Games and Ninja Kiwi.
 |
| Kinoko |
Kinoko, which focuses on relaxation as players direct the title character in his mission to clear a beautiful forest of winter into the new spring season, stood out for the judges, who said all entries were of an extremely high standard.
Chris Trewartha from YoYo Games, who presented the award said: “All of the Dare Academy 2018 finalists have done well to get to this stage, with such a talented field emerging at the start of the competition.
“I’m delighted for Thunder Lime and wish them and their peers every success with taking their games to the next level.”
 |
| Only Shadows |
Robert Henning, a former Abertay graduate and co-founder of Tag Games, added: “The range and depth of entries was particularly impressive this year and it’s great to see such polished and considered games getting the exposure that they deserve.”
Emelie Edholm of winning team Thunder Lime said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win. Having worked next to all the teams over the last six months we know how tough it’s been to just get here.
“We’d like to thank the mentors and our Dare Academy sponsors for all their support throughout the competition - it’s been a brilliant experience.”
 |
| Obsol33t |
Abertay University is ranked number one in Europe for games courses and was first in the world to offer games degrees.
2018 teams include:
Cation Games: Sketchtown Showdown is a creative party game where players draw their way to victory. The game is played entirely using the touch input of a smartphone. You sketch your own character before sending them into the “showdown” where they'll need to draw platforms, ski slopes, groceries and more in order to be crowned champion.
Technofluid Games: Physic is a level based puzzle which draws inspiration from smash hit games Portal and Qube and cult cartoon Rick & Morty. You play as eccentric inventor Dr Muucav, whose latest invention the “Physics Assimlating Suction and Transferring Apparatus” (or P.A.S.T.A) has been requested to be tested by a race of intra-dimensional beings.
Soda Float: Obsol33t is a game which sees the player take up the role of Jaison, a wheelchair user who tries to navigate his way through puzzles and challenges, conveying the day-to-day difficulties that those in a wheelchair face. The player sits in a wheelchair and uses two mouse-rollers to replicate the arm motion of wheelchair-user.
Thunder Lime Games: Kinoko focusses on relaxation as you direct the title character in his mission to clear a beautiful forest of winter into the new spring season. The objective is to explore the environment, identifying key areas to interact with and transform the land.
Aetherfall Games: Only Shadows is a first-person exploration that sees an unknown casualty of warfare tracing their steps through broken paths that conflict leaves behind. Journeying through time-shifting levels and psychedelic puzzles, the game demonstrates the psychological impact of war.
Zero Qualms: Vox Racers! is a rapid racing game taking inspiration from the teams’ favourite arcade games of the past. The game focuses on the fluidity of the racer’s controls and attempts to recreate retro racing arcade games, but with a modern twist.
gamezplay on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gameboy.uk
gamezplay on Twitter - https://twitter.com/gamezplayorg
gamezplay on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/gameboyuk