Computing students' success at Game Republic Student Showcase

5th July 2024

Final-year computing students from Sheffield Hallam were successful in two categories at the annual Game Republic Student Showcase hosted by Staffordshire University.

Students from Sheffield Hallam won awards in two categories. The Distinctive Games Award for Game Level Design, and the Red Kite Games Award for Game Technology.    

With 14 universities, 50 projects and over 150 students - students had the opportunity to present their projects to a wide array of judges from the games industry from companies including Rockstar Games, Rebellion North, Red Kite Games, Revolution Software, Sumo Digital, Distinctive Games, and PitStop Productions to compete for a range of prizes. 

Students work together on their final-year modules, collaboratively creating a large game which brings together a range of disciplines across games@hallam courses such as Computer Science for Games, Game Design and Development, and Game Art.  

Sheffield Hallam students were praised for their ability to create technical projects and were the only University students to work on PlayStation 5 Development kits.  

Joshua Briggs, a Computer Science for Games student, who received an award for exceptional Game Technology, said:

"Attending Game Republic 2024 was unforgettable. We won awards for our game 'Entombed', showcased our work, and networked with industry professionals. The support from peers and faculty was crucial to our success. I'm excited to apply this experience to future opportunities." 

Jay Burrows, a  Games Design and Development student who received an award for outstanding level design, said:

“It was great to be invited to the Game Republic student showcase, it was full of big companies to network with and got many professional eyes on my work, our team even won two awards which has given me a great thing to put on my portfolio and an advantage over many other new graduates.“ 

The students all had an opportunity to network with the judges and their peers from other universities after the event, receiving more feedback, sharing congratulations and creating contacts. 

The Student Showcase has a significant impact on employability with 81% of winners going on to work within companies in Yorkshire and the North of England and 90% gaining employment in the games industry. 

Luke Melville, Senior Lecturer in Games and Artificial Intelligence said:

“There are so many outstanding projects at this high-profile event, that have attracted more projects than ever before. Our students have again demonstrated their ability to go above and beyond what is expected of them, presenting their projects to games industry experts, and creating significantly technically impressive projects that will no doubt make their portfolio stand out when applying for jobs.”