Author: by Beth A.

AMD, a specialist in computing technology, has taken on lead sponsorship of Dare to be Digital’s showcase event Dare ProtoPlay. Dare to be Digital 2007 is the largest Dare ever since the competition was launched in 1999. 60 students divided into 12 teams and drawn from 15 universities across Britain, Ireland, India and China are taking part in the 10-week competition. Working in three host centres – Dundee, Belfast and Guildford – the teams have just 9 weeks to design and build a fully functioning prototype of their video game idea to be judged by a panel of games industry experts. Participants receive financial support and weekly training sessions from industry specialists during the competition. Dare ProtoPlay will be a video games showcase that takes place August 12-14 in Edinburgh, Scotland. With 60 talented artists and programmers in this year’s Dare to be Digital games design competition, there will be numerous fully functioning prototypes available for industry experts and the general public to play. AMD’s technology will enable Dare ProtoPlay to be a fully a hands-on experience and one of the most interactive events in both this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh Interactive Festival. Apart from showcasing the brand new games developed by the contestants, Dare ProtoPlay will include interactive workshops demonstrating the development of a game. Visitors will be able to explore music and sound effects from previous Dare to be Digital games, and create storyboards for a game concept written by scriptwriter and concept developer Mark Grindle. They will also have a chance to generate their own game character, as well as test an innovative and educational dance-mat based game, developed by Ramba Studio, a business that grew out of a team which took part in Dare to be Digital in 2005. Furthermore, visitors can also get into the interactive world of Disney games and look at behind-the-scenes features of “Crackdown”, the chart-topping game launched by RealTime Worlds earlier this year. Central to ProtoPlay will be a unique chance for members of the public to rub shoulders with games experts in play-testing new games created by the top young designers of the future – and vote for their favourites. The winners of the public vote award will win professional pen tablets sponsored by Wacom. The votes will count towards the final Dare to be Digital awards, which will be judged by an industry panel on August 15 and unveiled at a ceremony in the competition’s home base at Abertay University in Dundee on August 16. Putting on the pressure, the winners of Dare to be Digital will be the sole nominees for the new BAFTA “Ones to Watch” award. Dave Everitt, European product and platforms manager at AMD, said: “We are proud to be lead sponsors of Dare ProtoPlay because it is the ideal showcase of innovative video games, made by the next generation of designers. We have long supported the enthusiast market and are fully behind a competition that will help to advance video game design, and allow enthusiasts to have the chance to develop their skills in an exciting environment.” Paul Durrant, Dare to be Digital project director, commented: “We are delighted to welcome AMD on board as the lead sponsor of Dare ProtoPlay. It’s a unique event in the games industry, designed to let adults and children enjoy playing and learning more about video games at the same time. Serious students can also use it to find out more about what’s involved in preparing for a career in games development. “With AMD’s support, we intend to celebrate the newest ideas and the freshest young talent, and demonstrate the games creation process to the gaming public in an interactive way. AMD’s well-known commitment to driving open innovation, choice and industry growth by delivering superior customer-centric solutions makes them the ideal lead sponsor for Dare ProtoPlay.” For more information, visit the Dare to be Digital's Dare ProtoPlay website.