NEWS20 January 2025
Students at the University of Surrey are gearing up for a two-day ‘marathon’ to design and build a brand-new playable video game in just 48 hours.
Over the weekend of 24 to 26 January the university’s Games Innovation Zone – a vibrant space dedicated to the development, testing and playing of games – will be filled with creativity and the clatter of keystrokes all day and night as teams of students take part in this year’s Global Game Jam.
This will be the first time the University of Surrey has participated in the world’s largest game event, which last year saw more than 35,000 people across more than 100 countries take part.
The global initiative encourages people with all kinds of backgrounds to participate and explore new technologies or experiment in different roles to create, test and produce a new game inspired by the year’s theme, which is only revealed at the start of the 48hr period.
As part of gearing up for the two-day challenge, Surrey students will have an opportunity to pick up some tips professional games developer Dr Alexander Horowitz, Creative and Content Craft Director at Guildford-based Criterion, part of the EA Games and the studio behind the popular Need for Speed franchise.
The University of Surrey’s Games and Innovation Nexus (GAIN) programme is enabling two sites in Surrey to participate in the Global Game Jam – the University of Surrey and University of Creative Arts, Farnham.
The GAIN programme is an initiative backed by the UKRI that brings together two of the UK’s biggest game clusters outside of London – Guildford and Warwick. It was through this programme that the University of Surrey secured funding to create its Games Innovation Zone and the University of Creative Arts, Farnham established its Incubator Studio.
Caroline Fleming, Director of the Surrey Innovation District ecosystem at the University of Surrey said:
“It’s no easy feat to create a playable game at the best of times, let alone in only 48 hours! But where better in the world to rise to this challenge than in the University of Surrey’s new dedicated Games and Innovation Zone in Guildford at the heart of the UK’s ‘Hollywood’ of games. We’re really thrilled to have the professional expertise of Alexander from Criterion on-hand to offer some top tips ahead of the event.
“Forging and strengthening connections between our local world-leading games studios and academics at the University of Surrey and University of Creative Arts is a key goal for the GAIN programme. I can’t wait to see what our teams create.”
The University of Surrey to Launch New Games Design Bsc in September
This year is an important one for game developers at the University of Surrey. September will see the first undergraduates enrol on the university’s exciting new Game Design Bsc. This flexible course will enable students to tailor their degree to pursue their passions and develop a range of skills required by today’s game industry. From coding and machine learning through to animation and acting, textual analysis and writing for games.
For more information about the course visit: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/undergraduate/games-design
Looking for an innovative and creative space for your company?
Securing the right office shapes your company’s growth and creativity. For games developers, CreaTech pioneers, designers, or engineering innovators, Surrey Research Park, offers the ideal space to scale your ideas, attract talent, and impress clients.
Get in touch today to discover your perfect space.