Ukie, Space Ape Games and Playmob announce environmentally conscious student game jam

Ukie, Space Ape Games and Playmob are teaming up to deliver an environmentally conscious Green Game Jam for students across the UK early next month.

Taking place at 40 different institutions on the 5th and 6th of November, the jam tasks Ukie’s students with creating compelling games while also raising awareness of key climate issues amongst players.

There’s also the not so small matter of impressing the jam’s judges which include Gorm Lai, President and Co-founder of The Global Game Jam, Colin Hughes, Senior Principal Engineer at Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, Nic Walker and Deborah Mensah-Bonsu of Space Ape Games, and Dee Patel and Jake Pegram from Playmob.

The winning team receives a shared £2,000 scholarship from the Rabin Ezra Scholarship Fund, which provides support to post graduate students conducting research in computer graphics, a week-long internship at Playmob, as well as tickets and the chance to showcase at Games First 2020.

“Since 2007, the Rabin Ezra Scholarship Trust has been offering bursaries to post-graduate students since the tragic passing of Dr Rabin Ezra 14 years ago. He was a young and highly respected successful software engineer working in the games industry. By supporting activities such as the Ukie Student Game Jam, we are able to support and encourage future generations of game developers to pursue their passion into the same fields that Rabin enjoyed and cared about so deeply,” explained Sarah Lemarie from the Rabin Ezra Scholarship Trust.

In keeping with the ecological theme, the jam is also supported by Fairtrade coffee company Underdog who will be supplying drinks, and All Brandz set to create eco-friendly awards to the winning teams.

Ukie’s bi-annual student game jam draws from a pool of 3,000 students from 40 different institutions around the UK. Last year’s Student Game Jam attracted 255 students across 55 separate teams.

Ukie students can register here to enter a team.

Story by Jennifer Allen.