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All five participants convinced the judges of the merits of their concepts and earned a place in the next stage – the Concept Development Weekend, taking place on 7 July 2017.
Big Games Challenge (BGC) participants were invited to consider the different challenges and frustrations that people face, whether as visitors to local sites of interest, hospitality sector workers, or local residents, and what could be done through gamification to solve problems and enhance experiences. Participating teams met with mentors on the morning of the Big Games Pitch event to refine their concepts and pitches, and to prepare for judges’ questions. The challengers pitched their concepts to the judging panel, representatives from the tourism sector, gaming experts, and potential users of the products, before receiving constructive feedback on their concepts’ usability and implementation.
Commenting on the participants’ pitches, Mark Green, BGC Design Mentor and Director of Deep Arcade, said: “It’s been a wonderful event with a great range of ideas pulling on different inspiration from across many areas of tech. The concepts presented featured virtual reality, augmented reality, simulations and multi-player experiences; to be accessed via games consoles, mobiles, and computers; and in the main solved the issues surrounding access to and engagement with the region’s tourist, heritage, and scientific sights and exhibitions.”
Another of the challengers’ mentors – Daniel Dearing of Actualise Consulting Ltd, who was advising on business and strategy – praised the opportunity that the REACTOR initiative provides. Explaining that gamification is a sector offering substantial opportunity to the region, he said: “The Big Games Pitch is the first proper event that has enabled members of the gamification cluster to gather together in this way – and it sounds like there are some very exciting ideas and projects. A funded programme around gamification is just what we need and it’s courageous of Anglia Ruskin University to drive this through the REACTOR initiative.”
Technology Mentor, Antony Quinn, reflected on what he felt to be an exciting time for the Cambridgeshire/Peterborough region: “REACTOR is a great idea and we need to draw on that resource and create connections to do good work; people need to be encouraged to get over inertia – so many people want to create innovative solutions but don’t have a viable route to do so – now they do. In other sectors opportunities already exist for innovation, and it’s so important to have these similar opportunities for gamification and creative tech. I’m sure I speak for everyone involved – from the team at Anglia Ruskin University to the judging panel and my fellow mentors – when I say REACTOR is providing this essential opportunity, and we look forward to seeing the challengers develop their ideas at the Concept Development Weekend, and beyond, to the point where they are ready to go to market.”
About Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin is an innovative global university, brimming with ambition. Students from 177 countries gain qualifications in four continents. Students, academics, businesses and partners all benefit from its outstanding facilities; the university has invested £100 million over the last five years and plans to invest a further £91 million over the next five years.
Anglia Ruskin’s Research Institutes and five faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields, delivering impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference, from saving lives to conserving water. The university’s academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 12 areas classed as generating world-leading research.
In 2016 Anglia Ruskin was ranked in the top 350 institutions in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, featured in a list of the 20 “rising stars” in global Higher Education compiled by strategy consultants Firetail, and was named as one of the top 20 UK universities for teaching quality in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide.
About the European Regional Development Fund
The project is receiving up to £504,272 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.
REACTOR
REACTOR is a regional development project led by Anglia Ruskin University and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The project's aim is to support the growth of an applied games sector in the Cambridgeshire/Peterborough region by enabling connections between businesses, talent, expertise, facilities and grants. A total of £1 million will be committed to help new and existing businesses in all sectors to use games technologies and user-based design in innovative products and services – creating applied games and, ultimately, a new applied games sector in the region. ******* Media Enquires:
For more information on REACTOR please contact Hannah Coetsee, hannah.coetsee@consciouscomms.com or Zoë Scorer, zoe.scorer@consciouscomms.com; both at Conscious Communications on 01223 421 831.
For more information on Anglia Ruskin University please contact Jon Green, 0845 196 4717, jon.green@anglia.ac.uk; or Jamie Forsyth, 08451 964 716, jamie.forsyth@anglia.ac.uk. _______________________________________________________________
Big Games Challenge (BGC) participants were invited to consider the different challenges and frustrations that people face, whether as visitors to local sites of interest, hospitality sector workers, or local residents, and what could be done through gamification to solve problems and enhance experiences. Participating teams met with mentors on the morning of the Big Games Pitch event to refine their concepts and pitches, and to prepare for judges’ questions. The challengers pitched their concepts to the judging panel, representatives from the tourism sector, gaming experts, and potential users of the products, before receiving constructive feedback on their concepts’ usability and implementation.
Commenting on the participants’ pitches, Mark Green, BGC Design Mentor and Director of Deep Arcade, said: “It’s been a wonderful event with a great range of ideas pulling on different inspiration from across many areas of tech. The concepts presented featured virtual reality, augmented reality, simulations and multi-player experiences; to be accessed via games consoles, mobiles, and computers; and in the main solved the issues surrounding access to and engagement with the region’s tourist, heritage, and scientific sights and exhibitions.”
Another of the challengers’ mentors – Daniel Dearing of Actualise Consulting Ltd, who was advising on business and strategy – praised the opportunity that the REACTOR initiative provides. Explaining that gamification is a sector offering substantial opportunity to the region, he said: “The Big Games Pitch is the first proper event that has enabled members of the gamification cluster to gather together in this way – and it sounds like there are some very exciting ideas and projects. A funded programme around gamification is just what we need and it’s courageous of Anglia Ruskin University to drive this through the REACTOR initiative.”
Technology Mentor, Antony Quinn, reflected on what he felt to be an exciting time for the Cambridgeshire/Peterborough region: “REACTOR is a great idea and we need to draw on that resource and create connections to do good work; people need to be encouraged to get over inertia – so many people want to create innovative solutions but don’t have a viable route to do so – now they do. In other sectors opportunities already exist for innovation, and it’s so important to have these similar opportunities for gamification and creative tech. I’m sure I speak for everyone involved – from the team at Anglia Ruskin University to the judging panel and my fellow mentors – when I say REACTOR is providing this essential opportunity, and we look forward to seeing the challengers develop their ideas at the Concept Development Weekend, and beyond, to the point where they are ready to go to market.”
About Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin is an innovative global university, brimming with ambition. Students from 177 countries gain qualifications in four continents. Students, academics, businesses and partners all benefit from its outstanding facilities; the university has invested £100 million over the last five years and plans to invest a further £91 million over the next five years.
Anglia Ruskin’s Research Institutes and five faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields, delivering impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference, from saving lives to conserving water. The university’s academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 12 areas classed as generating world-leading research.
In 2016 Anglia Ruskin was ranked in the top 350 institutions in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, featured in a list of the 20 “rising stars” in global Higher Education compiled by strategy consultants Firetail, and was named as one of the top 20 UK universities for teaching quality in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide.
About the European Regional Development Fund
The project is receiving up to £504,272 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.
REACTOR
REACTOR is a regional development project led by Anglia Ruskin University and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The project's aim is to support the growth of an applied games sector in the Cambridgeshire/Peterborough region by enabling connections between businesses, talent, expertise, facilities and grants. A total of £1 million will be committed to help new and existing businesses in all sectors to use games technologies and user-based design in innovative products and services – creating applied games and, ultimately, a new applied games sector in the region. ******* Media Enquires:
For more information on REACTOR please contact Hannah Coetsee, hannah.coetsee@consciouscomms.com or Zoë Scorer, zoe.scorer@consciouscomms.com; both at Conscious Communications on 01223 421 831.
For more information on Anglia Ruskin University please contact Jon Green, 0845 196 4717, jon.green@anglia.ac.uk; or Jamie Forsyth, 08451 964 716, jamie.forsyth@anglia.ac.uk. _______________________________________________________________