In a first for the UKIE Student Game Jam, UK and Swedish students will be teamed up to create games with the theme of Collaboration. The best entrants will win a tailored trip to one of Sharkmob’s studios in London or Malmö.
Ukie and Sharkmob are collaborating to deliver a Collab-jam for students across the UK in November, and thanks to Sharkmob’s connections, they are inviting students from Sweden to join, too. The winning team will be given the opportunity to visit one of the studios, meet their teammates in real life and gain valuable experience through a tailor made visit to Sharkmob in London or Malmö.
The event will take place online on 23 and 24 November – students can sign-up here.
Ukie’s bi-annual student game jam, which is in its ninth year, draws from a pool of 4,000 students from 40 different institutions across the UK. Last year saw 80 teams comprising 380 students creating games across the country.
This time, each student team will be a mix of participants from different countries; a first for the Student Game Jam. Working as a team remotely across borders means that teams will need to understand how to successfully collaborate with one another.
Sharkmob was founded in 2017 by a group of like-minded industry veterans who believed it was possible to make great games differently. Part of their thinking was that it is possible to make ambitious AAA online games within a people-centred studio structure. The theme of collaboration and the international exchange between the UK and Sweden is a natural fit for the studio because across Malmö and London the teams are working on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, plus two unannounced titles.
“We’ve expanded our London studio at a time when international travel and face to face working was greatly reduced, and we’ve seen that it is possible to foster teamwork, creativity and collaboration remotely,” Sharkmob London managing director James Dobrowski said. “Moreover, international cooperation is often a key part of making games – especially AAA ones, and this Gamesjam will help Ukie’s student members experience this first-hand. That being said, if 2020 and 21 have taught us anything – it is the value of real-life interaction, the importance of learning from others, and mentorship – and this is why we intend to open our doors to the winners for a bespoke developer experience in 2022.”
“The Student Game Jam is one of the highlights of our year, and it is so important to give students the experience of making a game together,” Ukie CEO Jo Twist said. “We always look forward to playing the imaginative and innovative games that they come up with and this year’s cross-cultural theme promises to deliver some fascinating interactive experiences.”
Students can sign-up for the Ukie Student Game Jam here.
More information including terms and conditions concerning what the winners will experience here. Support us by Tweeting: #Collabjam
About Sharkmob
Sharkmob was founded in 2017 and has offices in Malmö, Sweden, and London, UK. The studio develops AAA quality games for PC and console, using the Unreal Engine to power its ambitions of taking multiplayer games to new heights. Sharkmob is working on three major projects: Bloodhunt – a battle royale set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe currently in Early Access on Steam; and two proprietary, unannounced projects. Learn more at sharkmob.com.
About Ukie
Ukie (UK Interactive Entertainment) is a not-for-profit trade body that represents the UK games and interactive entertainment industry. Its mission is to make the UK into the best place to make, sell and play games in the world. It represents over 500 businesses working across the UK, including game developers, publishers, platforms and service providers. It supports companies through business support programmes, political engagement, speaking with the media on behalf of the sector and running education initiatives to boost the industry talent pipeline. The organisation also supports and manages key industry responsibility campaigns such as www.askaboutgames.com and the Get Smart About P.L.A.Y. parental outreach campaign. Learn more at ukie.org.uk.
