A team of eight Concordia students had just 10 weeks to come up with an idea for an exciting, interactive video game and develop a working prototype — all while managing their full course loads.
And they delivered.
The team’s digital culinary challenge, Witchin’ Kitchen, picked up the $2,000 Jury’s Special Award at this year’s edition of the Ubisoft Game Lab Competition.
The game also earned nominations for Best Prototype, and Best Creativity and Integration of the Theme.
“The Jury's Special Award signifies that we excelled in many different categories,” says team member Nicole Parmentier, a student in the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
“Our game is not a one-trick pony. We succeeded in making an overall excellent game and a genuinely fun experience.”
In total, 21 teams from 12 different universities competed in Ubisoft’s annual university challenge. Polytechnique Montréal, in collaboration with École NAD-UQAC, won the prize for the best prototype for their game, Seaside Circus.
Teams were invited to create games that allow spectators to digitally interact with the competitors.
Yannis Mallat, Ubisoft's Canadian studio CEO and jury chairman, says the theme of “Spectacle” was born from the fact that games are becoming more interactive, gathering both players and fans around a common inclusive experience.
“It was a conscious choice on the part of the jury to get students thinking and working on the games of the future," he says.