hi ,
sir,
my name is akshay
On Oct 10, 9:04 am, Rogue Scholar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> This is my first contribution to the group - Mr. Roger M. Christian
>
> Dare to be Digital 2008
>
> The winners of the UK’s premier computer games design competition, who
> are also nominees for a unique BAFTA for new talent, have been
> announced at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh.
>
> Dare to be Digital, praised by BAFTA as the ‘perfect pathway’ for
> young talent in the games industry, held its 2008 Awards Ceremony at
> the Edinburgh International Exhibition Centre at the culmination of
> the Edinburgh Interactive Festival.
>
> The three prizes went to: Blue Skies (Abertay University Dundee) for
> their game ‘Origamee’, Ctrl_D (Peking University) for ‘VegeMe’ and
> Dark Matter Design (Wolverhampton University) for ‘Boro-Toro’.
>
> Each team takes home £2,500 and a BAFTA nomination for the BAFTA ‘Ones
> to Watch’ award which will be awarded in March next year.
>
> Origamee is set in a 3D pop-up story book themed world incorporating
> traditional adventure style puzzle solving. Environmental issues such
> as recycling and pollution are raised subtlety throughout the game.
>
> Boro-Toro is a side scrolling platform puzzle game which uses an
> innovative control system using Wii technology.
>
> VegeMe allows the player to grow and style their own world in a race
> against their opponent
>
> Organised and promoted by the University of Abertay Dundee in
> association with Channel 4, Dare to be Digital this year saw 17 five-
> strong teams of students haling from Birmingham to Beijing spending
> the last 10 weeks in host centres across the United Kingdom.
>
> Six teams were based at Abertay University (including teams from India
> and China), four were based at Brighton, three at London, two in
> Birmingham, and two in Dublin. In conditions as close to real
> commercial games production as possible, they have been working around
> the clock to develop fully-functioning prototypes of their game ideas.
>
> Earlier this week, the teams went head to head in a unique public
> showcase, Dare ProtoPlay, staged as part of the Edinburgh Interactive
> Festival. Over three days around 3000 visitors attended the event,
> trying out the new games and voting for their favourite.
>
> In addition to the public vote, the teams were also put under the
> unforgiving scrutiny of a panel of junior judges – aged 6-13 years
> old.
>
> Contrived (Edinburgh University) were the team to receive the most
> public votes, for their game Grav, they won the Audience Award
> sponsored by Microsoft and a prize of £1500. Grav is set in a ‘retro-
> futuristic’ environment where robots are your enemies and your
> surroundings are your best friend.
>
> A panel of seventeen judges, made up of representatives from fifteen
> different companies including Sony, Babel Media, Channel 4 and Sport
> Interactive, then had the task of picking the three winners based on
> creativity and innovation, use of technology and market potential.
>
> This is the ninth year of Dare to be Digital, which originated at
> Abertay University.
>
> Professor Bernard King CBE, Principal of Abertay said: “As the
> originators and organisers of Dare to be Digital, Abertay University
> is extremely proud to be working with all the sponsors and supporters
> of Dare in promoting the talents, skills and creativity that
> contribute directly to the success of the computer games sector both
> in Scotland and across the UK and Ireland. This includes the other
> universities who joined with Abertay this year to run hosting centres
> across the UK and Ireland. They are: Birmingham City University,
> Brighton University, Goldsmiths, University of London and Trinity
> College Dublin.
>
> “It’s success is demonstrated by the very high proportion of previous
> contestants who have been hired by a whole range of companies such as
> Electronic Arts, Rare, Denki, Realtime Worlds and Lionhead; others
> have even set up their own games development companies, and during
> this year’s contest we were delighted to note the first commercial
> launch of a game developed in Dare to be Digital.”
>
> Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture Linda Fabiani said:
> “The Scottish Government is delighted to provide support of £56,800 to
> Dare to be Digital which brings the world’s leading games design
> competition to Scotland showcasing our top class academic institutions
> and successful games industry. Through Fresh Talent we are committed
> to attracting and retaining talented international students and Dare
> provides a great opportunity for these cutting edge experts to see the
> benefits of studying and living in Scotland”.
>
> Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Fiona Hyslop
> said: “I’m delighted to see young Scots competing at an international
> level and collaborating with students from around the world. Dare to
> be Digital demonstrates the excellent learning environment that
> Scotland offers to the growing number of international students
> choosing to come and study in Dundee and throughout Scotland.”
>
> Richard Leinfellner CEO of BabelMedia who chaired the judging panel
> said: “As chairman of the judging panel it is my pleasure to relay
> that the panel of game industry experts felt the overall standard of
> this year’s entries exceeded all their expectation both in terms of
> breadth of subject matter and overall game quality.
>
> “In a climate of spiralling costs and product slippages Dare
> consistently manages to highlight what is achievable by the best new
> talent looking to enter the games business in just 10 weeks.”
>
> Ray Maguire, UK Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment and
> judging panel member said: "Once again, Dare has revealed some true
> talent. The quality is the best we have ever seen and it is possible
> to see some of these prototypes becoming commercial. We are delighted
> to be involved again this year and look forward to revealing the
> winner of the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award at the British Academy Video
> Games Awards on in March 2009"
>
> London sweeps awards and emerges clear winner as 'European city of the
> future'
>
> London has swept the board and emerged as this year’s number one
> European location in fDi magazine’s 2008 Cities of the Future
> shortlist, published by the Financial Times.
> Cities and regions were asked to provide information in areas such as
> economic potential, volume and number of investment projects.
>
> London scored top marks in the following categories:
>
> Top 50 European cities overall: London
> Top 25 Most attractive for FDI: London
> Top 10 Major European Cities: London
> Top 10 Most Business Friendly: London
> Top 10 Best quality of life: London and
> Top 10 Best Infrastructure: London.
> Commenting on the results, Michael Charlton, Chief Executive of Think
> London, the foreign direct investment agency for London said: “ This
> is fantastic news for London. We continue to be the number one
> European destination for foreign direct investment for businesses
> looking to globalise and this is thanks to key strengths including our
> top ranking infrastructure and business environment. On top of these
> individual achievements, we have claimed the biggest prize too - top
> European City overall - something we can be truly proud of.”
>
> Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: "London is the international
> city of the world not only in terms of the business it conducts but
> also with more nationalities in the capital than any other place on
> the planet. It is a city that has moved ahead of all others because it
> has embraced globalisation and is again now opening itself up to the
> rapidly growing market economies of China and India. It is a city that
> is on the cutting edge of international technology, finance and
> business with the greatest choice and life styles available to its
> citizens of anywhere on earth. At the same time its Climate Change
> Action Plan is internationally recognised as one of the most advanced
> in any city in the world.
>
> “In short London is leading the world in terms of the key trends at
> the beginning of the 21st century. This is reflected by this and other
> surveys that show why internationally London is held in such high
> regard.”
>
> Think London has a proven track record of helping overseas businesses
> set up, succeed and grow in the capital, and has helped more than
> 1,000 companies from 43 countries since 1994.
>
> MORE AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS BOUND FOR EUROPE
>
> More Australian students and scholars are enjoying study, teaching and
> research opportunities in the European Union thanks to the European
> Commission's Erasmus Mundus program.
>
> For the 2008/2009 academic year, 24 Australian students and 25
> Australian scholars have been selected to participate in the Erasmus
> Mundus Scheme.
>
> Erasmus Mundus is a global scheme which aims to enhance the quality of
> European higher education through continuous worldwide dialogue and
> cooperation with third countries. It supports the international
> mobility of scholars and students, through offering scholarships to
> students to study, and scholars to teach in, selected European Masters
> Programs. Currently there are 103 Masters Courses to choose from,
> ranging across all academic disciplines. Australian Institutions are
> partners in 13 of these courses.
>
> Students have been awarded more than A$34,500 per academic year for a
> maximum of two years, and scholars have been awarded more than A
> $21,300 for a maximum period of three months
>
> Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Commission to
> Australia and New Zealand, Bruno Julien, congratulated all scholarship
> recipients and said Erasmus Mundus is the opportunity of a lifetime
> for students and scholars alike to lean more about European cultures,
> languages and academic systems .
>
> “Last year Australia and the European Commission signed a Declaration
> of Intent to further improve collaboration on education. Initiatives
> such as the Joint Mobility Projects, co-funded with the Department of
> Education Employment & Workplace Relations, the Europe Centres and
> Erasmus Mundus will continue to build and foster relationships in
> order to uphold strong bonds between the EU and Australia for many
> years to come,” Ambassador Julien said.
>
> He was also pleased to learn that among the many talented recipients
> this year there are some whose Universities are part of the Europe
> Centres Network including Macquarie University, Griffith University,
> Monash University, University of Melbourne, James Cook University,
> Australian National University, La Trobe University, Murdoch
> University and University of Newcastle.
>
> For the 2008-2009 academic year, 1957 students and 459 scholars were
> selected for Erasmus Mundus scholarships worldwide. To date, more than
> 6000 students and more than 1000 teaching staff from across the globe
> have received an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
>
> This latest selection completes the first phase of Erasmus Mundus. The
> second phase of Erasmus Mundus (2009-13) is expected to start in 2009.
> The new phase will include doctoral programmes, increased scholarships
> for European students and promote further cooperation with higher
> education institutions worldwide. In addition, the new phase will
> integrate a mobility scheme for all levels of higher education.
>
> For more information on Erasmus Mundus and EU education initiatives,
> visit our education pages
>
> Contacts:
>
> Lynne Hunter
> Adviser
> Tel +61 2 6271 2742
> Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Roger Camilleri
> Senior Adviser - Media & Public Affairs
> Tel +61 2 6271 2744; mob: 0412 14 21 28
> Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Official information of the European Commission is available at any
> time athttp://europa.eu/rapid/
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