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Swinburne uses computer game design competition to tackle the ICT skills shortage
In an effort to engage young people in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Swinburne has launched a computer game design competition for Year 11 and 12 students – SwinGame 08.
With demand for ICT professionals at an all time high, software development lecturer Andrew Cain, wants to use SwinGame 08 to show budding young software developers the advantages of an ICT career.
"We are trying to address the myths about ICT by showing secondary students that there are not only a lot of opportunities for you if you have technical skills, but ICT is also really interesting and fun,” he said.
Open to all Year 11 and 12 students in Australia, SwinGame 08 is intended to encourage students who have shown some interest in software development so that they can improve their skills in the area.
Students can use an online design kit to create a wide variety of computer games, including arcade-style games or ones with an adventure or sporting theme. Using the SwinGame library, students can access the building blocks for game creation such as audio, graphics, physics, text, shapes, camera movement and maps.
A panel of industry professionals and academic staff will judge the entries and a $3000 cash prize will be awarded to the developers of the highest quality game.
The SwinGame game design kit and registration form can be accessed at www.swingame.com