Gaming the talent out

Bahrain Polytechnic Organizes 2^nd National Game Jam in Collaboration with eGovernment

Manama 

For the second year in a row, Bahrain Polytechnic has organized the GCC Game Jam event at its campus in the second half of May. The event was aimed at highlighting new talents and publicizing projects in the field of gaming. The event was strategically supported and funded by the eGovernment Authority (eGA) of Bahrain and a large number of major institutions, especially Bahrain Game Developers.

Dr. Mohamed Al Aseeri, the Acting CEO of the Polytechnic, thanked eGovernment Authority for their continued support for the GCC Game Jam event, as well as other supporting parties including Bahrain Game Developers, 2connect, Infiniteware, Mastertronic, Advanti, BreadTalk, Awal Press, Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa, Game Overviews, and Unity.

Dr. Al Aseeri said, “With the help of our partners in the public and private sector, this event will indeed help our generation to be innovative. The participants, some of whom are international, have come up with very creative ideas which will benefit the information technology business market.

“I would like to extend my congratulations to the winners of the event, and wishing good luck to the remaining participants. Without a doubt that these sorts of events would contribute to the Polytechnic’s Strategic Plan 2015-2019, the government action plan 2015-2018, and the Bahrain 2030 Vision,” he concluded.

As many as 14 teams participated in the tournament (three from Saudi Arabia), and each team was asked to develop a game in less than 3 days (50 hours non-stop).  The theme of the game competition was ‘Hope’ and was only revealed at the beginning of the competition, to ensure that all games were developed during the event timing. A panel of judges that was formed with local and international game development and academic experts performed evaluation.

Vice-Chief Executive Officer of the eGovernment Authority, Dr. Zakaria Ahmed Al Khaja thanked the Polytechnic in its role in raising the level of students in the field of Information Technology, at an academic and professional level.

He also pointed out, “the support that eGovernment provides at such competitions will equip the students with the necessary labour market skills, starting with creative thinking, through the development of technical manufacturing skills, and concluding with ‘marketing’ the game or product they created. We [in the Gulf Region] are witnessing a remarkable development in Bahrain thanks to these sorts of events.

“We are keen in innovation and creativity. Witnessing the projects submitted by the students encourages us to improve and compete at a global level. We aim to involve all stakeholders in the process of supporting the youth develop in the field of Information Technology, as we aim to meet the goals of the National Developed strategy for eGovernment.” concluded Dr. Al Khaja.

The Game Jam is a global level event that attracts 17000 participants annually from various countries between university students and designers. This year saw the contest break a record on the number of participants to 28837 in 78 countries, producing 5438 games.

For more information about the GCC Game Jam, visit www.gccgamejam.org.