Dare to be Digital
Encyclopedia
Dare to be Digital is a video games design competition targeted at university students and recent graduates, started by University of Abertay Dundee
, Scotland
in 1999.
Teams (typically of 5 university undergraduates or fresh graduates) work together in a microcosm of a games development company under tight deadline (usually 10 weeks; 8 and 1/2 in the 2011 competition) to develop a functional game prototype over summer.
The main objective is to help students gain real life working experience in a studio environment. Mentoring support is provided by game industry professionals and University staff. Entrants are paid a basic salary and have accommodation and travel costs covered by the University.
Entrance to the competition is based upon each team's ability and the nature of the game concept. This is measured against three criteria: creativity, market potential, and use of technology.
These criteria are also used to decide the three winning teams, who go through to be nominated for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award. Additional awards are given by sponsors, such as Adult Swim
, Wacom
and Intel, as well as an audience and team choice awards based on public and team votes respectively.
Ragnarawk
ProtoPlay 2011 takes place on 12-14 August.
, who were one of the global pioneers in academic courses for video games development. In 2000, it was opened to all university students across Scotland.
Different development models were tested with involvement from international teams who came from Japan, Canada, China, India and Malaysia, where a trial host centre model was carried out.
With industry and government support, the contest opened parallel host centres across the UK as of 2007, in Belfast and Electronic Arts office in Guildford. It has since been opened up to all UK and Irish universities and selected international partners.
Tayside and Dundee City Council have been supporters of the development of the competition since its beginning, along with local technology companies like NCR Corporation
and other software developers, such as Electronic Arts
and Rockstar North
.
The winner of the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award was The Butterflyers.
University of Abertay Dundee
The University of Abertay Dundee, usually known simply as Abertay University, is a modern university in Dundee, Scotland.- History :The University of Abertay Dundee was created in 1994, under government legislation granting the title University to the Dundee Institute of Technology...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1999.
Teams (typically of 5 university undergraduates or fresh graduates) work together in a microcosm of a games development company under tight deadline (usually 10 weeks; 8 and 1/2 in the 2011 competition) to develop a functional game prototype over summer.
The main objective is to help students gain real life working experience in a studio environment. Mentoring support is provided by game industry professionals and University staff. Entrants are paid a basic salary and have accommodation and travel costs covered by the University.
Entrance to the competition is based upon each team's ability and the nature of the game concept. This is measured against three criteria: creativity, market potential, and use of technology.
These criteria are also used to decide the three winning teams, who go through to be nominated for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award. Additional awards are given by sponsors, such as Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
, Wacom
Wacom
in Krefeld, Germany. Wacom is a Japanese portmanteau: Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and Komu for "computer". Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus or digital pen...
and Intel, as well as an audience and team choice awards based on public and team votes respectively.
BAFTA Ones To Watch Award
The three winning teams of Dare to be Digital form the sole nominees of a BAFTA Ones To Watch Award as of 2007. Past winners include:Ragnarawk
Ragnarawk
Ragnarawk is an musical role-playing game created for the 2007 Dare to be Digital video games development competition. The self-proclaimed 'GuitaRPG' combines RPG-style gameplay with a Guitar Hero-style input system...
Dare ProtoPlay
After the competition ends the teams demonstrate their titles at Dare ProtoPlay, a free games festival formerly held at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival until 2010 and now at Caird Hall in Dundee. This is open to the general public.ProtoPlay 2011 takes place on 12-14 August.
History
In 1999, an idea was developed within University of Abertay DundeeUniversity of Abertay Dundee
The University of Abertay Dundee, usually known simply as Abertay University, is a modern university in Dundee, Scotland.- History :The University of Abertay Dundee was created in 1994, under government legislation granting the title University to the Dundee Institute of Technology...
, who were one of the global pioneers in academic courses for video games development. In 2000, it was opened to all university students across Scotland.
Different development models were tested with involvement from international teams who came from Japan, Canada, China, India and Malaysia, where a trial host centre model was carried out.
With industry and government support, the contest opened parallel host centres across the UK as of 2007, in Belfast and Electronic Arts office in Guildford. It has since been opened up to all UK and Irish universities and selected international partners.
Support
Scottish EnterpriseScottish Enterprise
Scottish Enterprise is a sponsored non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which encourages economic development, enterprise, innovation and investment in business...
Tayside and Dundee City Council have been supporters of the development of the competition since its beginning, along with local technology companies like NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation is an American technology company specializing in kiosk products for the retail, financial, travel, healthcare, food service, entertainment, gaming and public sector industries. Its main products are self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, check...
and other software developers, such as Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
and Rockstar North
Rockstar North
Rockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
.
Dare 2008
There were 17 teams taking part in Dare 2008, including Blue Skies (Abertay University Dundee) for their game ‘Origamee’, Ctrl_D (Peking University) for ‘VegeMe’ and DarkMatter Designs (Wolverhampton University) for ‘Boro-Toro’. These three teams were nominated for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award 2009, with Boro-Toro winning.Dare 2009
14 teams took part in 2009. The competition went more international with students coming from Canada, England, India, China, Northern Ireland, The Irish Republic, Norway, Scotland and Wales. The final winners were Colour-coded by PixelPiratehttp://www.daretobedigital.com/team-information/team.php?idTeam=567&year=2009, Quick as Thieves by Gentlemen of Fortune http://www.daretobedigital.com/team-information/team.php?idTeam=372&year=2009 and Shrunk by The Butterflyershttp://www.daretobedigital.com/team-information/team.php?idTeam=363&year=2009.The winner of the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award was The Butterflyers.
Dare 2011
Dare 2011 runs from 13 June to 11 August, with ProtoPlay running from 12-14 August. Teams come from the UK, Ireland, India Denmark and China.| Team | Game | Format | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Necessary Evil | Carne Carne | PC | UK |
| Ape-y Eyes | Paper Quest | Kinect | UK |
| Crispy Nugget Studios | Galaxy Guardians | Kinect | UK |
| Digital Hazards | Shadow Light | PC | UK |
| Digital Knights | Joust it Out! | Kinect | Denmark |
| Evolved Ape | Dreamweaver | PC | UK |
| Faraway Games | Aida | iPad | UK |
| Fatdog Games | The Tale of Yog | iPad | UK |
| FunBox | Ants the Lost Memories | PC | India |
| Furnace Games | Scorcher | Kinect | UK |
| Rebel Donut | Plunder in the Jungle | Windows Phone 7 | UK |
| Swallowtail | Tick Tock Toys | iPad | UK |
| Tea and Techno | Full English Fusion | Windows Phone 7 | UK |
| The Weather Factory | The Balloonist | iPad | Ireland |
| Yummy Tummy | Who is the Lucky Ghost? | iPhone | China |