Game Garage participants developed two new video games over the three-month summer project in Charlottetown.
Ten game design and animation graduates from the region have realized their dream of creating a video game at the Atlantic Technology Centre in Charlottetown this summer. They have taken their idea from concept to a market-ready prototype.
The two new games, called Cipher and DotBot, were unveiled Thursday at a gala event night.
Game Garage was a three-month video game incubator project supported by the Interactive Media Alliance (IMA) with Telefilm Canada and Innovation P.E.I. With this financial assistance, the IMA provided participants with office space, hardware and software and salaries. The project ran from June 1 to Aug. 31 at the Atlantic Technology Centre.
Participants were chosen from a national competition that invited graduating new media students and recent graduates to submit original game concepts, or submit their resumes for a chance to work on someone else’s concept.
"Game Garage 3 is the best ever. Having two teams working side by side in friendly competition has made both projects stronger,” said Mark Sandiford, president of the Interactive Media Alliance. “Game Garage is proving to be an invaluable program for building the game studios of the future."
The first team is a group of graduates from New Brunswick Community College, Miramichi Campus, in video game art and design. These students all completed their two-year program in May.
Bryan Viau - Resident of P.E.I.
John Landry - Resident of New Brunswick
John Sollows - Resident of New Brunswick
Kyle Leet - Resident of New Brunswick
Sam Bowdridge - Resident of New Brunswick
The second team was made up of participants from Holland College and UPEI. These participants graduated from post secondary programs in May.
Matt King - Resident of P.E.I. and UPEI graduate from computer science with a major in video game programming.
Greg King - Resident of P.E.I. and UPEI graduate from computer science with a major in video game programming.
John Hughes - Resident of P.E.I. and Holland College graduate from video game art and design.
Kent Giddings - Resident of P.E.I. and Holland College graduate from video game art and design.
Marshall Harrington - Resident of P.E.I. and Holland College graduate from video game art and design.
The three-month incubation period was used to get the game prototype ready to be pitched for sale, but if the grads would rather start their own company to market their game, then they have that option.
Some of the participants have already been hired by game studios from P.E.I.-based new media companies. The companies were partners in the Game Garage by providing mentorship to the students during the summer and had the advantage to see them at work, building a game.
About the Interactive Media Alliance of PEI:
The IMA is an alliance of video game and other interactive media companies based in Prince Edward Island with a mandate to develop and support the new media and video game industry.
About Telefilm Canada:
Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian products that appeal to domestic and international audiences.
View the Game Garage video:
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