GDC, SAN FRANCISCO, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Forum Nokia, the
largest mobile development community worldwide, has today revealed the
winners of its global Mobile Games University Competition. Parsons The New
School for Design in the US and The Upper Austria University have scooped the
two prestigious top spots, being chosen above the other participating Forum
Nokia PRO universities. Students were invited by Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to design,
prototype and showcase new ideas for future mobile games. The two winning
teams will receive a trip to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco,
March 23rd to 27th.
Forum Nokia PRO universities participated in the competition, submitting
44 games in total. The two winning games, not ranked in order, were:
'Weekness': Parsons The New School for Design, US
By Drew Cogbill, Yumi Endo and Rabia Malik, 'Weekness' is a game built
upon the concept that friends share their SMS activity, resulting in social
interactions that reflect individual communication styles, extending the
functionality of text messaging into a game. User generated content plays a
key and innovative role in the game-play. Weekness is developed for Flash
Lite 3.0 and the Adobe Flash Lite Distributable Player.
http://dave.parsons.edu/courses/course/view.php?id=5&topic=1
'MooLan': The Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences, Hagenberg
By Michael Holzl and Bernhard Aufreiter from the department of Mobile
Computing, 'MooLan' is a space shuttle pilot maneouvering game which utilizes
handset accelerometer and proximity sensors as well as the camera. The game
concept is adapted from the classic 'Moon Lander' game but takes it in a new
direction through the innovative use of platform functionalities and fully
sensor-based control mechanics.
http://www.symbianresources.com/projects/moolan.php
"This competition reveals how the next-generation of game designers will
help redefine the very essence of gaming by emphasizing the crucial role of
social communication," said David Carroll, Assistant Professor of Media
Design, Parsons The New School for Design. "It signals a new era of socially
intertwined games where the distinction between the producer and player are
completely blurred."
"We're thrilled to have been picked as a winner," said Bernhard
Aufreiter, Upper Austria University. "We really wanted to maximize our use of
handset features like sensors and camera technology - there are so many
exciting innovations that can be applied to mobile games now. It has been
great to have the opportunity to work with Nokia and be rewarded for our
efforts. We're looking forward to being able to network with other
like-minded developers at GDC and pick up some real industry insights."
"We were really impressed by the standard of entries we received,
especially seeing as the students had to develop these concepts in just a few
weeks," said Dr Mark Ollila, Director of Technology and Strategy and Head of
Games Publishing, Nokia. "Games were judged on criteria including
entertainment value, creativity and usability. This kind of competition
really showcases the raw talent of our next-generation of mobile games
developers and provides an insight into the potential of our industry."
Please visit us at GDC! The N-Gage by Nokia booth is #5605, North Hall,
Moscone Center.
Riku Suomela, Nokia, will be giving a talk on the Forum Nokia Mobile
Games University Competition from 11.00 - 12.00pm on Wednesday 25th March.
The winning designs will be demo'd straight after.
About Forum Nokia
Nokia's global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to
tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can use
to build and market applications around the globe. From offices in the U.S.,
Europe, India, Japan, China, and Singapore, Forum Nokia provides technical
and business development support to developers and operators to assist them
in achieving their goal of successfully launching applications and services
to consumers and enterprises. More information is available at
http://www.forum.nokia.com.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and
growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a
wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to
experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business
mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet
services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of
focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications
networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.
About Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School for Design is one of the most prestigious and
comprehensive schools of art and design in the nation. Parsons graduate and
undergraduate Communication Design and Technology programs encompass a
diversity of perspectives and practices connect by a human-centered approach
to design. Experimentation, collaboration and exploratory research are
central to a Parsons education, with the overriding goal of inspiring a new
generation of designers to create the messages, experiences and platforms for
a more sustainable and imaginative future. Areas of study include game
design, animation and motion graphics, information design, publication
design, advertising and persuasion design, physical computing and interation
design. For more information, please visit
http://www.parsons.newschool.edu/dt.
About The Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences, Campus Hagenberg
The Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences offers an
internationally recognized, well-established, practice-oriented education at
four locations for over 4000 students. With its unique combination of
education, research, and business, the Campus Hagenberg has established
itself as a dynamic center of computing and software development with an
international reputation. It offers a wide range of degree programs in the
field of Information Technology, including Mobile Computing. Modern
infrastructure and equipment, strong ties to the IT industry and a dedicated
teaching staff ensure a focused education with excellent career
opportunities. For more information please visit
http://www.fh-ooe.at/en/hagenberg-campus/
http://www.nokia.com
