‘Game Jam’ pulls in more than 30 developers, students

By Digital News Asia December 25, 2013

Exabytes and MDeC host International CGM Game Jam support to encourage gamification
Winning team from Digital Ark to fly to Japan to visit with game development companies there

‘Game Jam’ pulls in more than 30 developers, students

MORE than 34 local game developers and tertiary students participated in the CGM Game Jam 2013, an international game prototype development competition that was held from Dec 14-15 in Kuala Lumpur, said its organiser Exabytes Network Sdn Bhd.

Eight teams consisting of 34 developers and students participated in the 36-hour game development marathon, which was supported by national ICT custodian the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the webhosting services provider said in a statement.

GCM Game Jam is a game development competition which was first introduced in Japan in 2005. This year, it was held in Japan, Thailand and Malaysia, Exabytes said.

Games are moving beyond pure entertainment, especially with the gamification trend, which sees game development techniques and concepts being used in a business context.

“Parallel to the increasingly significant commercial trend in games development, CGM Game Jam also inspires Malaysia’s PC gaming sector to explore the opportunities in the gamification market,” said Exabytes chief executive officer Chan Kee Siak.

‘Gamification’ is about applying game-design principles into non-game situations, noted MDeC chief executive officer Badlisham Ghazali.

“In fact, gamification is gaining traction within local businesses as a way to creatively and more effectively engage their employees, customers and stakeholders,” he said.

“MDeC will continue the momentum and keep encouraging companies to move beyond entertainment and into digital publishing, training, simulation and gamification to support industries that are using the mechanics of gaming to boost innovation and drive value,” he added.

A panel of ICT industry veterans served as judges for the competition, including representatives from MDeC, Exabytes and Dr Ganesan Velayathan, a successful game application developer who is best known for getting over two million worldwide downloads for his Sushi Friends Android-based game application.

The first prize winner was the team from Digital Ark, a year-old local startup, comprising Shah-Arif, Muhammad Aliff and Shah-Qays.

Each member of the winning team will receive a return ticket to Japan, including accommodation, where they will visit games companies.