Dare Intensive Summer School

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Dare Intensive Summer School:

From Game Concept to Game Studio

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A B E R TAY U N I V E R S I T Y

What is Abertay University, and why study games there?

Abertay University is a modern university in Dundee, Scotland. It’s also the home of the oldest computer games education program in Europe, and the only one in Europe ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the best places to study game design. Dundee was the home of DMA Games – later Rockstar North – and the birthplace of Grand Theft Auto, which became the most commercially successful computer game in history. Abertay is the designated Centre for Excellence in Game Education in Scotland, with 5 undergraduate and 2 master degree programs in games design and production, game application development, game technology, sound and music for games, and computer art.

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Dundee is home to several major game studios, including 4J Studios (producers of MineCraft for Xbox, Playstation and mobile platforms), Outplay, Denki Games, Reagant Games, Ninja Kiwi, and YoYo Games. It’s also the home of the Dundee Games Collective, a cooperative of independent game makers and artists creating new, experimental and provocative work.

Abertay hosts the Dare to be Digital competition, in which teams of students from around the world design games, with awards and prizes from Channel 4, Sony and many other partners.

Dare ProtoPlay Festival in early August (one of the UK’s largest games festivals, and meeting publishers and investors to help bring their games to the public.

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What is Abertay International Summer School?

The Summer School is a program of lectures, workshops, seminars and master classes led both by Abertay faculty and by world-leading visiting designers and artists, in parallel with the Dare to be Digital Competition. Participants will create original game ideas in experimental workshops, and then develop them in team-based projects. Games created in the summer school will be eligible to compete in next year’s Dare to be Digital, and students will get feedback from industry mentors.

Dundee is a short train ride away from Edinburgh, a world heritage center and home of the Edinburgh International Festival and Festival Fringe. The city has been named the best city for students in the UK. Fees* two weeks of the course only for a fee of $2,900.

Student accommodations, tuition fees, and fees for all cultural trips are included in the summer school. The fee does not include air fare, airport transfers, and food.

To guarantee your space a 50% non-refundable deposit is required by 15 May 2016. Visit Abertay’s online store to make payment: http://onlinestore.abertay.ac.uk/ Disclaimer: This programme of lectures and cultural visits is indicative only. The timing and location of events may

*Abertay University reserves the right to cancel the summer school, if less than 10 enrolments are registered.

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DARE INTENSIVE SUMMER SCHOOL: FROM GAME CONCEPT TO GAME STUDIO

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11 July – 13 August 2016

Arrival in Dundee no later than 10 July 2016 Week 1 – 11 July - 17 July Date

9 - 11am

11am - 1pm

1pm - 2pm

2pm - 5pm

Monday 11 July

• Welcome: AMG Orientation • Origins of Dundee Game Hub

• Scottish history

Lunch

• Free time to explore Dundee

Tuesday 12 July

• Seminar: Team Organisation • Seminar: games marketplace

Practical sessions: game development location

Lunch

• Seminar: Team planning • Practical sessions: game development

Wednesday 13 July

• Specialist tutorial • Seminar: Prototype creation

Practical sessions: game development

Lunch

• Seminar: Release management • Practical sessions: game development

Thursday 14 July

• Specialist tutorial • Seminar: Prototype iteration

Practical sessions: game development

Lunch

• Seminar: Pitching • Practical sessions: game development

• Specialist tutorial • Seminar: User testing

Practical sessions: game development

Lunch

• Seminar: Postprototype • Practical sessions: game development

Friday 15 July

Saturday 16 July

Sunday 17 July

Cultural visit: Edinburgh Walking tour; Scottish Parliament tour (activities TBD depending on whether Parliament is in session); cultural sites (Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Old Town/New Town); independent exploration Cultural visit: St Andrews and Fife Walking tour of St Andrews; independent exploration; Fife coastal path hike

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Week 2 – 18 – 24 July 2016 Date

9 - 11am

11am - 1pm

1pm - 2pm

2pm - 5pm

Practical sessions: game development

Lunch

• Seminar: Postprototype • Practical sessions: game development

Monday 18 July

• Specialist tutorial • Seminar: Delivery

Tuesday 19 July

Game Design Workshop: Stack Your Many Hats Day 1 – We Begin as Designers

Wednesday 20 July

Game Design Workshop: Stack Your Many Hats Day 2 – We Continue as Artists

Thursday 21 July

Game Design Workshop: Stack Your Many Hats Day 3 – We Conclude As Finishers

Friday 22 July Saturday 23 July

Trip to the Scottish Highlands Potential sites include Glencoe, Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye

Sunday 24 July

Week 3 – 25 - 31 July 2016 Date

9 - 11am

11am - 1pm

1pm - 2pm

2pm - 5pm

Lunch

• Practical sessions: game development

Monday 25 July

• Specialist tutorial

Tuesday 26 July

Team work and independent development of project

Wednesday 27 July

Team work and independent development of project

Thursday 28 July

Team work and independent development of project

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Week 3 – 25 - 31 July 2016 (continued) Date Friday 29 July Saturday 30 July Sunday 31 July

9 - 11am

11am - 1pm

1pm - 2pm

2pm - 5pm

Team work and independent development of project Guided cultural visit: Explore Scottish Castles Day trip to Dunnottar Castle, Glamis Castle and the surrounding area Highland Games, St Andrews

Week 4 – 1 – 7 August 2016 Date

9 - 11am

11am - 1pm

1pm - 2pm

2pm - 5pm

Monday 1 August

Team work and independent development of project

Tuesday 2 August

Team work and independent development of project

Wednesday 3 August

Team work and independent development of project

Thursday 4 August

Team work and independent development of project

Friday 5 August

Dare Protoplay (10am – 6pm) – A full day of industry-led seminars and workshops

Saturday 6 August Sunday 7 August

Dare Protoplay (10am – 6pm) Dare Protoplay (10am – 6pm)

Welcome: Dare Indiefest

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Week 5 – Monday 8 August – Saturday 13 August 2016 Date

9 - 11am

Monday 8 August

Games business workshop

Tuesday 9 August

Games business workshop

Wednesday 10 August

Games business workshop

Thursday 11 August

Games business workshop

Friday 12 August

Games business workshop

Saturday 13 August

Departure

11am - 1pm

1pm - 2pm

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Free time outings uniqueness of Scotland through your own independent exploration. There are thousands of things to see and do during your free time throughout Dundee, Tayside, and Scotland.

Whether you’re interested in music, history, culture, sports, or the outdoors, the options are provide suggestions and tips on where to go during your free time, but here is a list to get you started: Visit Broughty Ferry castle in Tayside Enjoy a round of golf in the country where it was created Climb Dundee Law, the highest point in the city Visit the extensive beaches and forests of nearby Fife Tour local whisky distilleries or microbreweries (for example Eden Mill, Scotland’s only distillery and brewery in one) Experience Dundee’s live music scene at Duke’s Corner or Clarks on Lindsay Street Walk or cycle the Fife coastal path Visit Glasgow for shopping, art, history, and music Enjoy Scotland’s summer festival culture: Edinburgh’s world famous Fringe Festival (5-31 August) Edinburgh International Festival (August) The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (5-27 August) Crail Festival (18-31 July) Pittenweem Arts Festival (6-14 August) Test your puzzle skills at Edinburgh Escape See a play or musical at the Dundee Repertory Theatre or St Andrews Byre Theatre Travel by bus to nearby Scone Palace and see the Stone of Destiny Experience Scottish traditional music at Fisherman’s Tavern (Broughty Ferry) or The Ship Inn (Anstruther)

Contact For more information contact: Adrienne McLaughlin D 0044 1382 308814 E: a.mclaughlin@abertay.ac.uk

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Abertay University is an operating name of the University of Abertay Dundee, a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC016040.