Taking place on Thursday 6 June, the prestigious event is happening as part of the University’s 20 Years of Games celebrations and will be the largest Game Republic showcase in its 15 year history.
Game demos, character designs, art portfolios, technical demonstrations and animations will be presented in a fantastic array of projects in the Catalyst Hall on the University’s main Stoke-on-Trent campus.
Leading game studios who have made some of the biggest global games titles judge the art and animation, narrative design, technology, game design and teamwork of the students work.
Final year teams will compete in seven categories: Game Art and Animation, Game Technology, Game Narrative Design, Game Level Design, Game Design, Game Audio and Best Team, which will be judged by games studios including Distinctive Games, Pitstop Productions, Rebellion North, Red Kite Games, Revolution Software, Sumo Digital.
Staffordshire University student Abigail Arblaster designed the games mascot for the event which has been used on websites, posters, social media and on the limited-edition T-shirts produced for the event.
Abigail, 20, a second year Concept Art for Games and Film student, said: “The brief was to design a friendly mascot that encompasses the student showcase. I worked on a few designs but settled on an owl because it was an element of the Staffordshire University crest. I didn’t expect to win but I am looking forward to seeing the mascot at the event next week.”
Head of Staffordshire University Games Institute, Professor Chris Headleand said “The Game Republic Student Showcase has been a highlight of the annual games education calendar for years. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to engage directly with the games industry and to have their talents recognised. This is a special year for games courses, and our award-winning department at Staffordshire University and so we were delighted to have been selected by Game Republic to host this prestigious event.”
MD of Game Republic Jamie Sefton said “It has been fantastic to see such a big response this year, making it our biggest ever GR Student Showcase! Staffordshire University was one of the first Universities to develop games courses in the UK, so it's great we're here to celebrate their 20th anniversary. I expect to see a really high standard of work produced by the 150+ students attending including some great games and VR games too and a really special day for the students, course leaders and games company judges.”
In 2023, research showed that 90% of previous winners in the Game Republic Student Showcase had gone on to secure games jobs, with 81% staying in the region.
The prize presentation will be the first part of the evening programme and will be followed by a Fireside Chat with Mark Brown from Game Maker’s Toolkit - a popular YouTube channel - and a Games Industry Panel on getting into the industry. The event will finish with networking and drinks with games companies, course leaders, student teams and previous winners.
About Game Republic
Game Republic is the largest games industry body in the North of England with over 1100 developers, educational partners and industry suppliers. The network runs 12 events a year for game developers and the annual Game Republic Student Showcase.