Think back to your very first game. Were you stomping on sentient mushrooms in Super Mario Bros.? Or maybe you were watching Pac-Man flap his lips as you steered him around to gobble up pellets?

To celebrate and preserve the history of games, James Cook University is excited to be organising the fifth annual Retro Inspired, taking place on 8-10 November 2019. The event includes a 24-hour Game Jam and a Public Lecture.

Making video games is hard, much less cranking one out in only a day. Adhering closely to the retro theme, the 24-hour Game Jam will see participants create games inspired by old 8-bit or 16-bit games. You might see games echoing a particular game mechanic you remember, invoking a familiar aesthetic, or more.

The Game Jam will take place in the Singapore campus of James Cook University, and is open to students enrolled in any Institute of Higher Learning in Singapore (including Polytechnics, JCs, ITE, and Universities, etc.) and other countries. Each Institution can participate with an unlimited number of teams each comprising of up to four members.

Additionally, the game created can be submitted either as a PC standalone executable (running under Windows or MacOS) or as a mobile app/project (Android or iOS).

Dr Roberto Dillon, Associate Professor of Information Technology at James Cook University in Singapore, said, “Retro inspired is an event that aims at bringing together talented students with industry professionals and the general public. We want everyone to have fun, learn and network together while enjoying new games with a retro twist.”

Following the end of the Game Jam, a showcase will be conducted the next day, where an audience can vote for their favourite game. Winners of the Game Jam will stand to walk away with exciting prizes.

On the same day as the showcase, a public lecture led by Mr Mike Pondsmith of R. Talsorian Games Inc. will be held on the campus.

Mr Pondsmith is best known for designing the early pen-and-paper role-playing game series Cyberpunk, which places players in an intricate dystopian future. The series serves as the inspiration for the highly-anticipated video game by CD Projekt Red — Cyberpunk 2077, where Mr Pondsmith is consulting on the story and mechanics.

The public lecture will examine the issues intellectual properties in the gaming world face in adapting to different types of media, such as books, comics, novelizations, tabletop and board games, video games and licensed properties.

Given his extensive background in games design and the industry, Mr Pondsmith will be able to share personal insights and anecdotes about the different elements that go into constructing a gameplay experience.

So if you’re at all interested in games, why not come on down to Retro Inspired? You might just be able to show off your design skills at the Game Jam, discover a newly-developed gem at the showcase, or learn something fresh at the public lecture.

Find out more information about our Games Design courses here.

Contacts

Roberto Dillon [email protected]
Media: Pinky Sibal [email protected]