UK trade association UKIE has unveiled Wisp the winner of its first ever student-focused game jam.
Developed by a team of students from the Goldsmiths University of London, Wisp won out over entrants from four other teams which were all created during the course of the marathon 39-hour jam.
Sponsored by Square Enix’s Collective publishing initiative, Wisp will receive an exclusive pitch on the Collective platform, while each team will also receive prizes from PlayStation First.
Student uprising
Goldsmiths team leader James Gamlin was understandably excited about winning the jam.
"I am ecstatic to be announced as the winners. The Ukie Student Game Jam has been an incredible experience. Myself and the team - Tolga Zeren Kaçar, Madina Berkaliyeva, Chilun Liu, and Arthur Wong - are so glad we took part. We loved developing Wisp, though at times we did think it was slightly too ambitious for a 39 hour jam,”
UKIE CEO Dr. Jo Twist also expressed her enthusiasm for the game jam, and saw it as an opportunity to raise the profile for UKIE's new student membership plan.
“The standard of games that our students managed to make in such a short period of time was amazing. The jam was a great way to launch our new Student Membership scheme and it gave our students the chance to get some quality one-on-one time with industry veterans as well as showcasing their creative talents to some of the big players in the industry. They have really done themselves proud.”
Master of the Universe
During the jam, Ukie also collected feedback from the teams regarding their industry mentors who offered assistance throughout the process. Ukie then asked the students to explain why their mentor should win the title of “Mentor of the Universe”.
Square Enix's head of community Phil Elliott seized the title - and special trophy - after receiving outstanding feedback and support from the Norwich University of the Arts team.
“I’m really touched to have been nominated for this award; but the team did all the hard work, and it was awesome to see them overcome some of the challenges thrown in their way," Elliott began.
"As a microcosm for game development, jams are a fantastic experience. The problem-solving required - not to mention needing to take tough decisions and make hard judgement calls - under major time restrictions will stand them in great stead. The new layer of talent that are the graduates of today will become the backbone of the industry tomorrow,"
