Game Over 25: End of Year Student Showcase and Competition 2025
On Friday, 16th May, we celebrated a year's worth of hard work and creativity from students in the games@hallam end-of-year student showcase and competition. The event was organised by the Games and Artificial Intelligence Subject Group within the School of Computing and Digital Technologies, in partnership with the Sheffield Creative Industries Institute. Programmers, designers, and artists representing different year groups came together to present their impressive game projects developed throughout the year. The event provided a platform for the large array of students to showcase their skills, creativity and innovation. From captivating narratives to immersive gameplay mechanics, each project demonstrated the students' dedication and passion for their craft.
The competition featured several categories, encompassing different levels and aspects of game development. The categories included best group cross-disciplinary projects from levels 4, 5, 6, and 7, acknowledging the diverse expertise and achievements across various stages of the academic journey. Additionally, awards were presented for the best art portfolio and best design portfolio, recognising the students' exceptional artistic and design abilities. Furthermore, the category of best Research/Enterprise/Steel Minions game honoured the innovative projects that showcased entrepreneurship and practical application of skills, as well as the students' commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge in a diverse range of research areas.
The event was attended by judges from a wide array of sectors, including not only the games industry but research, recruitment, esports, software engineering, and many more. Throughout the event, the judges meticulously inspected each project, taking into account factors such as technical implementation, gameplay mechanics, artistic creativity, and overall innovation. Their keen eye for detail and deep understanding of the industry allowed them to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each submission, providing valuable feedback to the students.
Winning Projects
- Level 4 Group Project: C'thot To Go John Gogadi - Naomi Gibson, Lucy Drury, Olly Allden, Ash Moore, Kei Birch, Ognen Blazhevskim, Amelia Butler-Shields
- Level 5 Group Project: Distorted Horrors - Will Smith, Joseph Thacker, Riley Plumtree, Tighe Taylor, Tobias Swift, Daniel Brown, Jacob Heinzman, Richie Lenton
- Level 6 Group Project: A.L.E.R.T - Josh Wade, Claire Langton-Goh, Austin Kurnia, Mathew France, Ryan Harland, Bradley Green
- Level 7 Group Project: Trajectile Interactive - Racecar Crashers - Aliyaan Bhatti, Charlie Edwards, Gergo Kocsis, Luke Hibbert
- Best in Show - Games Design Portfolio: Crime Inspector - Claire Langton-Goh
- Best in Show - Games Art Portfolio: Cristina Martinez Gracia
- Special Award - Best Steel Minions/Research/Enterprise/Special Project: Cubed Cube - Development and optimisation of a Voxel-Based Engine for the Nintendo GameCube - Sebastian Valdes
Congratulations to all of our talented students who showcased their work. The event highlighted the remarkable talent and potential within the student body and showcased the university's commitment to fostering innovation and creativity.
We cannot thank the academic hosts who supported each category enough, who gave up the majority of their day to support students, escort judges through projects and help with the smooth running of the event.
One final thanks to the incredible panel of industry judges who generously gave up their time to support and evaluate the student projects. Their dedication was evident as they devoted their Friday evening, many travelling from afar, to providing our students with exceptional feedback & advice, contributing significantly to the event's success and the student's educational and professional journeys.
