Channel 4 renews prize support for Dare to be Digital 2016
Pathos Studios (now known as FixedUpdate) pictured with Channel 4's Colin Macdonald at last year's Dare to be Digital awards ceremony
Channel 4 today announced that it will offer a £25,000 award to one of the teams taking part in the international computer games competition, Dare to be Digital 2016, through its new All 4 Games label launched last year.
It is the fifth time that the broadcaster has given its support to the respected annual competition for budding games developers which is run by Abertay University, Dundee.
This year, more than 80 people across 16 finalist teams from universities in the USA, Belgium, France, India, England, Wales and Scotland are taking part in Dare to be Digital. The competition culminates with the showcasing of each team’s game to the public at Dare ProtoPlay; Scotland’s biggest indie game festival which takes place each year in Dundee. (Thursday 4 – Sunday 7 August)
As well as the award, All 4 Games will also provide mentoring support for the prize-winning team, selected by a panel of judges based on the members’ potential and ability to work together.
Colin Macdonald, Head of All 4 Games and Games Commissioner at Channel 4 said: “We’re pleased and proud to be supporting Dare to be Digital again. Each year, we’ve watched the competition go from strength-to-strength and so it is no surprise that it attracts the most talented games development students from across the world.
“Channel 4 has a continued commitment to the discovery and development of top talent for the UK’s games industry boosted by the launch of our All 4 Games business last autumn. This prize demonstrates the strength of our support for the next-generation of UK video games supremos.”
Rob Green of FixedUpdate (formerly Pathos Studios), winners of last year’s Dare to be Digital 2015 Channel 4 prize said:
"Working with Channel 4 has given us the freedom to work on a project of our own volition while still in university. Their help has provided us with the ability to push the team's skills and ambitions to kick start our future careers in the games industry."
Dare to be Digital 2016 is underway and runs for several weeks across the summer.
The Dare ProtoPlay computer games festival will be open to the public from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 August in Dundee’s Caird Hall where, on the final day, the three winning teams will be announced.
Dare ProtoPlay is sponsored by Abertay University, Event Scotland, Sony, Channel 4 and Dundee City Council.
Event information:
About the Channel 4 Dare to be Digital 2016 £25,000 award: The competition prize is a £25,000 commission by All 4 Games for one team, working on any platform, from the 2016 Dare to be Digital competition. By mutual agreement, additional work to the winning project will be funded to a maximum of £25,000. The competition closes at 10am on Thursday 4 August 2016 and the winners will be announced on Sunday 7 August 2016. The winner will be selected by a judging panel looking for the project it deems to have the most potential to be easily accessible and enjoyable by the Channel 4 audience, and for a team which has the ability to work well together. Find out more at: http://www.daretobedigital.com
Dare to be Digital is organised by Abertay University: Sixteen teams of students are chosen from the world’s best university games courses to compete to create and develop their games, initially at home or in their own universities. They then travel to Dundee for two weeks of mentorship immediately before showcasing their games at Dare ProtoPlay, the UK’s biggest independent games festival, in August. Teams will also have the option of coming to Dundee sooner to participate in a summer of workshops, guest lectures and other activities while they develop their games at Abertay’s Centre for Excellence in Game Education. After Dare ProtoPlay, the teams have the opportunity to meet publishers and investors to learn more about how to bring a finished game to market (and other audiences) and to develop a new studio. Students from all over the world apply following endorsement of a member of teaching staff from their university. Free accommodation is provided in Dundee from 18 July to 9 August during the mentorship phase and to allow the teams to set their games up for Dare ProtoPlay, which runs 4-7 August in Dundee.
About All 4 Games
All 4 Games is Channel 4’s Glasgow-based games publishing arm, formed in September 2015 to provide premium support to small, talented indie developers within the mobile games sector. Led by industry veteran Colin Macdonald, Channel 4’s Games Commissioning Editor and Head of All 4 Games, the core games team boast over sixty years of collective experience and a genuine passion for gaming. The All 4 Games label will build on Channel 4’s reputation as an ally for independent creatives by elevating developers and helping them launch successful mobile games globally. Channel 4 currently commissions up to six funded games per year in association with its flagship programme brands, already achieving mass global audiences and critical acclaim with The Snowman, Made in Chelsea, Hollyoaks and Reverse The Odds receiving multiple nominations and wins at BAFTA, Digital Emmy, Broadcast Digital and BIMA awards. For more information www.all4games.co.uk
