Winners Announced in 2009 Dare to be Digital Design Competition

Three student-led teams of developers from Abertay University have been announced as winners in the 2009 Dare to be Digital video game design competition in the UK. The contest saw 14 teams of students from six countries competing as finalists. Teams were challenged to create a working game prototype over a ten-week session at the University of Abertay in Dundee. Each winning team received a £2500 cash prize. All teams have additionally been nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)-sponsored Ones to Watch award. "The Butterflyers" won the Dare Team's choice award with Shrunk, a game in which a tiny protagonist is able to reduce the size of the surrounding world at will. "Gentlemen of Fortune" was named as a winner for its physics-based action-stealth game Quick as Thieves, which tasks players with stealing valuable items from a museum at night. "Pixel Pirates" finished in the top three with Colour Coded, a title in which gameplay is controlled using Wacom graphics tablets. Two additional awards were presented to finalists at the Dare ProtoPlay event. "Inertia Interactive" from Portsmouth University took home the Intel Visual Adrenaline Award, while Abertay University's "Five Armed Bandits" earned the show's Audience Award. This year's winners were judged by a panel made up of top names from the gaming industry, including representatives from BAFTA, BBC, Blitz Games Studios, Cohort, Denki, Disney, Ninja Theory, Rare, Realtime Worlds, Rockstar North, Sony, and Turner Broadcasting. "I was impressed with the level of quality at this year's Dare Protoplay, which just keeps on getting better," said BAFTA representative judge Andy Nuttall. "Each team showed determination to impress both through their games and their pitches, with plenty of originality and technical achievement on show. It was difficult to pick three to go forward, and choosing one for the ultimate Ones to Watch award at the BAFTAs will be particularly tough."