TIGA is the trade association for the UK video games industry and its awards recognise outstanding students, excellent universities and best practice in education
Staffordshire University was named winner of the Excellence in University/Industry Collaboration category in a virtual ceremony last week. The award recognises the GVE Summer Showcase, an online event which gave students the opportunity to engage directly with industry experts during the pandemic.
Across 2020 and 2021, more than 260 entries from students were judged by around 95 judges across the UK. The showcases were supported by an array of companies such as Codemasters, Creative Assembly, Sumo Digital, Rebellion and many more.
Stuart Butler, Course Director for Games Technology, organised the events. He explained: “The feedback we had from industry was fantastic, with judges praising not only the level of quality but the depth of it across the categories. There was particular excitement surrounding the Collaborative Games categories with judges wanting to see the top entries as released titles in the future.”
Chris Headleand, Staffordshire University’s new Head of Games Design and Technology, added: “The games community at Staffordshire is world renowned for its talent, educational innovation, and impressive portfolio of industry collaborations. Winning the TIGA Excellence in University/Industry Collaboration award stands as testament to the commitment of our dedicated academic team and our industry partners to create sector-leading opportunities for our students.”
Recent BEng (Hons) Computer Games Design graduate Billy Kane was also revealed as the winner of the Outstanding TIGA Graduate Designer prize.
He said: “Honestly, it was very surprising! There were a lot of talented people nominated in my category, some are peers from Staffs who I always looked at as a benchmark for what I should aim to achieve. I was happy to simply be considered and to win is certainly a confidence boost in my work moving forward.
“I think the course really pushes designers in particular to try and translate their skills into more practical and technical implementation alongside developing their design skills. I definitely feel more well-rounded in my skillset after my studies at Staffs.”
See the full list of TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2021 winners
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