Sophia George launching Dare to be Digital 2014

Former Dare to be Digital winner Sophia George will launch this year’s iteration of the game design competition.

Hosted and organised by Dundee’s Abertay University, the initiative sees hundreds of students attempting to build a working game prototype in eight weeks. The games then go on display to the public and industry experts at Dare’s ProtoPlay event in August, where three teams will be picked to complete for the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award.

George won both the Dare to be Digital competition in 2011 and the BAFTA in 2012 for her family puzzle game Tick Tock Toys. Since then, she has become the V&A museum’s first game designer in residence and is currently working at Abertay.

"Dare to be Digital was the first opportunity I had to work witha team to build a complete game, and it changed my life.

"All of the 15 teams who are spending the summer at Abertay University building a brand new game face an incredibly tough challenge, but when they put their games on show at the Dare ProtoPlay festival in August, they will be ready for a career in games.

"I wish them all the very best of luck, and look forward to seeing 15 creative, exciting and inspiring games take shape over the next eight weeks."

Dare to be Digital 2014 kicks off today. Among the entrants are teams from distant markets such as China, India, Malta and the USA. The competition’s main awards are sponsored by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s academic development programme PlayStation First.

Dare ProtoPlay will be held in Dundee from Thursday 7th August to Sunday 10th.