Students from IIE-Vega School’s Durban campus recently participated in Ludum Dare, a global game development competition
Image: Supplied
Students from IIE-Vega School’s Durban campus recently participated in Ludum Dare, a global game development competition where participants are tasked with creating playable games in just 72 hours.
Held biannually, Ludum Dare is recognised as one of the largest and longest-running challenges of its kind. This year’s theme, “depths,” inspired a variety of interpretations, as participants worked under tight deadlines, either individually or in teams, to design and build playable video games.
The school noted that the event also formed part of the academic assessment for second- and third-year students.
Asher Gray, a first-year Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences student specialising in Game Design and Development, created Animalia Memories, a horror game set within the neural connections of a cat’s brain. The retro-style, pixelated game follows a player investigating the cause of the cat's death.
Ludum Dare is recognised as one of the largest and longest-running challenges of its kind.
Image: Supplied
“This is my first game jam and my first completed game project. As a solo developer, I handled everything from animation and modelling to coding and programming. It was intense, but rewarding.”Gray said.
A team of first-year students from the same programme Adishesha Nandkoomar, Dylan Minkley, Jessica Anderson, Abigail Sykes, and Tatum Bollman developed Mush Go Deeper, a game in which the lead character, Mush, embarks on a quest to recover his original body after it is lost in a fight with a dragon.
“This game is an early prototype for a larger project we hope to continue developing,” Nandkoomar explained. “Our lecturer, Henk Scheepers, encouraged us to participate and provided the support needed to bring the project to life.”
Third-year students from the same programme, Daniel Dennison, Rebecca Goodall, Raees Amla, and Njabulo Zikhali developed Rock Bottom, a fast-paced adventure game in which a dwarf battles through a mineshaft to recover his lost pickaxe.
“We’ve participated in game jams before, so we learned to focus on creating something short, simple, and fun within the time constraints,” Dennison said.
Students from IIE-Vega School’s Durban campus recently participated in Ludum Dare
Image: Supplied
Game design and development students from IIE-Vega’s Durban campus recently took part in Ludum Dare - one of the biggest international game development competitions. The challenge? Build a working video game from scratch in just 72 hours.
Image: Supplied
“Humour was key in our design, as it tends to enhance gameplay. We nearly cracked the top 100 in the humour category. Participants rate each game on several factors, including fun, innovation, theme, graphics, mood, and humour.”
Kuleza Phiri, lecturer in the IIE Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Game Design and Development at IIE-Vega Durban, praised the students’ performance.
“Creating a game in three days is no easy task, yet the students produced solid work. More importantly, their ability to collaborate, assign roles, and manage their time under pressure was outstanding.”
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