UK COMPANY WINS INTERNATIONAL GAMES DESIGN COMPETITION
Contact: Gemma McLean, Gemixin Ltd Tel: 07590 573385 Email: gemma@gemixin.co.uk For Immediate Release UK COMPANY WINS INTERNATIONAL GAMES DESIGN COMPETITION Coventry multimedia company Gemixin Ltd are announced as the only UK winners of the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition A Coventry multimedia company has been announced as the only non US winner of the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition (www.dmlcompetition.net). On Tuesday 25th May 2010 at the Games for Change conference in New York City, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra announced nine winning game developers who will share $250,000 for new and educational gaming experiences on the commercial games LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3) and SporeTM Galactic Adventures (PC). These winners are part of the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning Competition, which is designed to support the most novel uses of new media for learning. This year, MacArthur teamed with Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Electronic Arts (EA), the Entertainment Software Association, and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation to support new and creative user-generated levels and adventures to engage young people in learning in the two games. The competition is administered by the virtual network of learning institutions, HASTAC, and is part of the Obama Administration’s Educate to Innovate initiative, and asked applicants to submit a level proposal that would entertain and educate in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths. Gemixin Ltd, who specialise in games and virtual worlds development and work with several UK universities on educational projects, were awarded a grant to develop their PlayStation 3 LittleBigPlanet level. The level will introduce students to key concepts of computer science with players navigating the inner workings of a computer, solving puzzles that convey computing principles of increasing difficulty. Gemma McLean, a Coventry University graduate that started the company in 2008, attended the conference in New York to receive the award. “We’re absolutely delighted to have won this competition, which means that we can develop the level further using the funding provided. We’re really looking forward to creating an educational gaming experience for students so that they can learn more about computer science concepts.” For more information visit http://www.gemixin.net/lbp4learning Ends NOTES FOR EDITORS More information: If you’d like more information, or to schedule an interview, please call Gemma McLean on 07590 573385 or email at gemma@gemixin.co.uk About Gemixin Ltd: Gemixin Ltd is a multimedia development and consultancy company that provide high quality services for both desktop and mobile applications. We specialise in serious game and virtual world development and also offer a variety of other services within the multimedia domain. We are based in Coventry, West Midlands UK and services include the design and development of: • Virtual worlds • Serious games • Educational games • Games • Digital videos • Web sites / applications • Mobile applications Gemixin Ltd Coventry TechnoCentre Coventry University Technology Park Puma Way Coventry CV1 2TT www.gemixin.co.uk About the Digital Media and Learning Competition: Winners in the Game Changers category will receive awards for new, creative user-generated levels and adventures designed for either of two existing commercial games. These should offer young people highly engaging game play experiences that incorporate and leverage principles of science, technology, engineering, and math for learning. The aim of the Game Changers category is the creation of new game play experiences using the popular video games LittleBigPlanet™, winner of numerous "Game of the Year" awards in 2008, and Spore™ Galactic Adventures. Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) and Electronic Arts (EA), in cooperation with Entertainment Software Assocation and Information Technology Industry Council, will team with MacArthur to support this component of the Competition. Sony Computer Entertainment of America will donate PlayStation®3 (PS3™) consoles and copies of LittleBigPlanet™ and Electronic Arts copies of Spore™ and the expansion pack Galactic Adventures to community-based organizations and libraries in low-income communities. In addition to making the winning levels and adventures available to the game playing community at no cost, SCEA and Electronic Arts will also specially highlight the winners within the games’ communities and their respective websites.
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