Glyndwr University Computer game development team are latest entrants for major national competition
A game development team from Wrexham Glyndwr University have become the institution’s latest entrants shortlisted for a major national competition.
Treasure Map Tales, a six-person team made up of students studying Computer Game Development at Glyndwr, are the latest entrants from the university to be selected for the Tranzfuser games development programme.
Tranzfuser aims to link new UK Games graduates to enterprise and employment, and is backed by the UK Government. Each competing team will now aim to get a playable demo of their proposed game ready for the London EGX show which runs between Oct 17 and 20.
The teams will also make a series of pitches as the year progresses, with a final shortlist of teams being put forward to EGX. There, they will also make a closing pitch to the UK Games Fund, with up to £25,000 in development funding at stake.
Treasure Map Tales’ latest game, Bagheads, is currently under development. The game is a multiplayer competitive brawler with a host of levels where characters with bags for heads take part in a variety of games and competitions.
Developer Matthew Ould said: “Working on Bagheads has been a dream come true. We’re grateful for the chance to partner with Tranzfuser and bring it to a wider family audience.
“We are currently working hard to refine a number of Bagheads features. Our coders are working closely with the animator to refine the core fighting mechanics. Our level designers have moved onto the second level of the game – and we will be unveiling more details on twitter soon!
“Our visual and sound artists are currently adding the final touches to level 1 and the party modes. We’re proud to announce that all is on schedule for the public reveal this Autumn.”
Treasure Map Tales’ work has recently featured on Channel Five’s Gadget Show – where the team were part of Jamfuser, a Tranzfuser-linked ‘game jam’ which saw them designing a game on a specific topic over a three-day period.
They have also discussed computer game development with Wrexham MP, Ian Lucas, when he met with them as part of his fact-finding work for a Parliamentary inquiry.
Senior Lecturer in Computing and Programme Leader for Game Development and Game Design & Enterprise, Richard Hebblewhite, said: “The Tranzfuser programme does so much good work right across the UK and helps to prepare graduates to ensure they make the most of the opportunities the games industry offers.
“We have a strong track record here at Glyndwr of encouraging our students and graduates to look at their games not just in terms of development, but also in terms of enterprise. That track record stands our students in good stead in the competitive world of games development – a major UK industry – and we are proud so many of our graduates have secured employment in the sector.
“Tranzfuser 2019 marks the 3rd consecutive year of our tenure as a Local Hub for the UK Games Fund. The standards have been very high this year, and it is a testament to the quality of our students that they are one of only 13 teams from across the UK to make it into the final programme.
“We wish Treasure Map Tales all the best – and we’ll be supporting them as they work towards the national show in October!”
More about Treasure Map Tales can be found on their twitter page: https://twitter.com/TM_Tales
Find out more about Wrexham Glyndwr University’s BSc in Computer Games Development here:https://www.glyndwr.ac.
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