Dare to Be Digital
Dare to be Digital is a video games design competition targeted at university students and recent graduates, started by and held at Abertay University, Scotland since 2000.
Teams work together in a microcosm of a games development company at their home or within their home university to develop a prototype of a new video game. Teams have 9 weeks from the start of the competition to finish their game although it can be in production for up to a year prior to starting.
The main objective is to help students gain real life working experience as a multi-disciplinary group. Mentoring support is provided by game industry professionals. The competition culminates at Dare Protoplay, an indie games festival in which the games made by Dare Contestants are the main event and can be voted on by the public. Entrants are provided free accommodation for the duration of Dare Protoplay by Abertay University.
Entrance to the competition is based upon each team's ability and the nature of the game concept. This is measured against three criteria: creativity, market potential, and use of technology. Applications for Dare to be Digital are assessed by members of Dare to be Digital's "Developer Accord", consisting entirely of representatives from the games industry. These representatives will also interview the teams before making a decision on which teams will take part that year.
These criteria are also used to decide the three winning teams, who go through to be nominated for the BAFTA Ones To Watch Award. Additional awards are given by sponsors, such as Channel 4, Design in Action and Intel, as well as an audience and team choice awards based on public and team votes respectively.
BAFTA Ones To Watch Award
The three winning teams of Dare to be Digital form the sole nominees of a BAFTA Ones To Watch Award as of 2007.| Year | Team Name | Game Name | Sponsoring University/College |
| 2007 | Voodoo Boogy | Ragnarawk | Abertay University |
| 2009 | DarkMatter Designs | Boro Toro | University of Wolverhampton |
| 2010 | The Butterflyers | Shrunk! | Abertay University |
| 2011 | That Game Studio | Twang! | University of Skövde |
| 2012 | Swallowtail | Tick Tock Toys | Norwich University College of the Arts and Abertay University |
| 2013 | Kind of a Big Deal | Starcrossed | Kajaani University of Applied Sciences and Abertay University |
| 2014 | DOS Studios | Size DOES Matter | Norwegian School of Information Technology |
| 2015 | team ok | Chambara | University of Southern California and University of Colorado |
There was no BAFTA Video Games Awards Ceremony in 2008. The nominees for the 2016 BAFTA Ones to Watch award will include:
- Pixel Tailors for 'The Wall Shall Stand'
- Mild Beast Games for 'Sundown'
- Pictrail for Selfienation
Dare ProtoPlay
13,000 visitors visited Dare ProtoPlay 2013. Dare 2014 was held on 7–10 August in Dundee City Square and Caird Hall.
History
In 1999, an idea was developed within the University of Abertay Dundee, who were one of the global pioneers in academic courses for video games development. In 2000, it was opened to all university students across Scotland.Different development models were tested with involvement from international teams who came from Japan, Canada, China, India and Malaysia, where a trial host centre model was carried out.
With industry and government support, the contest opened parallel host centres across the UK as of 2007, in Belfast and Electronic Arts office in Guildford. It has since been opened up to all UK and Irish universities and selected international partners, with all teams now being hosted in the University of Abertay Dundee.
Awards and Recognitions
2014Winner of Develop Talent Investment Award
2011
Livingstone-Hope Review of Video Games and Visual Effects Next Gen.
Dare to be Digital was singled out and cited in one of the 20 recommendations as a template for the UK education:
Develop a template for introducing workshop simulation into industry-accredited video games and visual effects courses, based on Abertay University’s Dare to be Digital competition.
2009
Demanding Growth: Why the UK needs a recovery plan based on growth and innovation &
Demanding Growth in Scotland: Why Scotland needs a recovery plan based on growth and innovation
Rolling out of student placements such as the highly successful Dare to be Digital prototype competition across the UK. This initiative, sponsored by the University of Abertay in Dundee, provides talented students with the opportunity to showcase their creativity and skills in front of prospective employers. Wider use of placements encourages HEIs to simulate the workplace environment more successfully.
2008
Winner of Develop Edu New Talent Award
2007
Playing for Keeps – challenges to sustaining a world-class UK games sector
The exception to the rule is Abertay University’s Dare to be Digital competition, which funds teams of students to develop prototype game engines and playable levels of games in a ten-week intensive course. The resulting games are then judged by a panel of industry specialists and small cash prizes are given based on a range of awards from ‘most commercially viable’ to ‘best use of technology’. The resulting games, their excellence and their creator’s employability have shown the industry the creativity and ingenuity of the new talent emerging from the handful of UK universities so far involved. 25 out of 46 current courses have contributed entrants to date, and 80 per cent of Dare’s participants win jobs in the industry after competing.
Support
Tayside and Dundee City Council have been supporters of the development of the competition since its beginning, along with local technology company NCR Corporation and game developers such as Rare, Blitz Games Studios, Electronic Arts and Rockstar North.Dare 2007
12 teams took part in Dare 2007, including BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees Care Box for their game 'Climbactic', Phoenix Seed for 'Bear Go Home' and Voodoo Boogy for 'Ragnarawk' who ultimately won the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award.Dare 2008
There were 17 teams taking part in Dare 2008, including BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees Blue Skies for their game ‘Origamee’, Ctrl_D for ‘VegeMe’ and DarkMatter Designs for ‘Boro-Toro’, with the latter team winning.Dare 2009
14 teams took part in 2009. The competition went more international with students coming from Canada, England, India, China, Northern Ireland, The Irish Republic, Norway, Scotland and Wales. The BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees were Colour-coded by PixelPirates, Quick as Thieves by Gentlemen of Fortune and Shrunk by The Butterflyers who won the award.Dare 2010
15 teams took part in 2010, coming from China, England, India, Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, USA and Wales. The three BAFTA Ones to Watch Award nominees were Angry Mango for their game 'Mush', Team Tickle for 'Sculpty' and That Game Studio for 'Twang', who ultimately won the award.Awards
Prize winners were 'Bears with Jetpacks' for their game 'Grrr!' who won the "Adult Swim" sponsored award for innovation and creativity.
The Teams-Choice award went to Bazooka Duck, who also won the Intel Visual Adrenaline Award, and That Games Studio won the public choice award.
| Team | Game | Format | Country |
| Abnormal Creations | The Inkwell Chronicles | Wii | UK |
| Angry Mango | Mush | Windows Mobile | Wales |
| Bazooka Duck | Epoch Defence | PC | UK |
| Bears with Jetpacks | Grrr! | Wii | UK |
| Creative Genius | Silent Symphony | PC | UK |
| eleMENTAL | Weatherman | Xbox 360 | Scotland |
| Gazhab | Chayya | Xbox 360 | India |
| Grimnir Games | Death Inc. | PSP | UK |
| King of Dice | Dice Rolling | PC | China |
| Nevermind Games | WiiKick | Wii | Ireland |
| Ramblin' Wreckage | Hella Umbrella | Android | USA |
| Shark on a Bike | Dyed World | Xbox 360 | Scotland |
| Team Tickle | Sculpty | iPad | Scotland |
| That Games Studio | Twang | Xbox 360 | Sweden |
| Various Artists | Legendary Crusaders | PC | UK |
Dare 2011
Dare 2011 had 15 participating teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, India, Denmark and China.| Team | Game | Format | Country |
| A Necessary Evil | Carne Carne | PC | UK |
| Ape-y Eyes | Paper Quest | Kinect | UK |
| Crispy Nugget Studios | Galaxy Guardians | Kinect | UK |
| Digital Hazards | Shadow Light | PC | UK |
| Digital Knights | Joust it Out! | Kinect | Denmark |
| Evolved Ape | Dreamweaver | PC | UK |
| Faraway Games | Aida | iPad | UK |
| Fatdog Games | The Tale of Yog | iPad | UK |
| FunBox | Ants the Lost Memories | PC | India |
| Furnace Games | Scorcher | Kinect | UK |
| Rebel Donut | Plunder in the Jungle | Windows Phone 7 | UK |
| Swallowtail | Tick Tock Toys | iPad | UK |
| Tea and Techno | Full English Fusion | Windows Phone 7 | UK |
| The Weather Factory | The Balloonist | iPad | Ireland |
| Yummy Tummy | Who is the Lucky Ghost? | iPhone | China |
Dare 2012
Dare 2012 had 15 participating teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, India, Finland, Israel, Spain and China.| Team | Game | Format | Country |
| Caracol Games | Slick! | PC | UK |
| CLOCKinROCK | Liminal Magibrawl | Kinect | Ireland |
| Fortified | Castle Crusade | iPad | UK |
| Dapper Hat Games | Mr. Montgomery's Debonair Facial Hair | iPad | UK |
| Gastank Games | Interstate Outlaws | Kinect | UK |
| Ideer | Colour Captain | iPad | China |
| Kind of a Big deal | Starcrossed | Windows phone 7 | Finland |
| LazzyBrains | What A Day: The Story of a fisher-worm | iPad | India |
| Loan Wolf Games | Pixel Story | PC | UK |
| Mad Rocket Games | Ready, Steady, Roll! | Android Tablet | UK |
| Must Make Games | Badgers vs. Turtles | iPad/iPhone | UK |
| Raptor Games | Project Thanatos | PC/Sensics zSight Headset | UK |
| Team Faceplant | GravTech | PC | UK |
| Team-Iso | IsoChronous | PC | Spain |
| The Nuclear Duck | Marcelo | Kinect | Israel |
Awards 2012
BAFTA "Ones to Watch Award" Nominations
- Starcrossed, for Windows Phone 7 by Kind of a Big Deal- Pixel Story, for PC by Loan Wolf Games
- Project Thanatos, for PC and virtual reality headset by Raptor Games
Channel 4 prize
Loan Wolf GamesIntel Visual Computing Tools Audience Award
Raptor GamesDevelopers Choice Award
Team-IsoDare 2014
Dare 2014 had 15 participating teams from Scotland, England, Ireland, USA, China, India and Malta.| Team | Game | Format | Country |
| A Fox Wot I Drew | Baum | iPad | UK & Ireland |
| AM | Sunny Rainy Snowy | iPad | China |
| Desk Jockeys | Reshuffle | Tablet | UK & Malta |
| Five Pixels | Seek | Android Tablet | UK |
| Good Day Games | Lapin | iPad | UK & Ireland |
| Insert Imagination | Kuria | PlayStation Vita | UK |
| Overly Kinetic | Chambara | PC | USA |
| Straight Ahead | Straight Ahead | iPad | China |
| Taleforge Studios | World Eater | iPad | UK |
| TCN | Soul Seeker | Android Tablet | UK |
| Team Pugstar | Pug Pug Pirates | iPad | UK & Ireland |
| The Pillowettes | D-Bug | iPad | USA |
| Too Mainstream | Sagittarius | PC & Oculus Rift | India |
| Torque | Don't Walk: RUN | PC/Tablet | UK |
| Unorthobox | Ally | PC with Controllers | UK |
Awards 2014
BAFTA "Ones to Watch Award" Nominations
- Chambara, for PC by Overly Kinetic- Don't Walk: Run, for PC and Tablet by Torque
- Sagittarius, for PC and Oculus Rift by Too Mainstream