Epic Games, Inc. has announced the launch of Make Something Unreal Live (MSUL) 2013. It is a competition open to any students who have enrolled on a full-time course at any European higher education establishment, to make a game based on a theme.
Interested? Read on.
Make Something Unreal Live 2013 is being supported by the Wellcome Trust, Staffordshire University (Epic's educational partner for the program) and UKIE (the games industry trade association).
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation, and aim to make improvements in both human and animal health through biomedical research and medical humanities, housing the brightest of minds.
Because of the involvement with the Wellcome Trust, the theme for this years Make Something Unreal Live is 'Mendelian Inheritance: Genetics and Genomics' –
This will include concepts such as variation, mutation, and other behaviors of the human genome. Sounds very sciencey indeed, and it will surely be interesting what you (if you choose to participate) or anyone else for that matter can come up with.
Supported by the Wellcome Trust, teams will have access to resources throughout the competition including any access to scientists they may need, and facilities.
Of course, with any competition, a prize of usually high value and merit is awarded, and being Epic, they are offering a commercial Unreal 4 license as prize, enabling them to bring games to market essentially.
They are accepting pitches up until the 2nd November so you still have a while if you want to be included.
Teams that make the shortlist, and are accepted will start using Epic's Unreal Development Kit (UDK), which is the free version of Unreal Engine 3 open to anyone, to start making the game based on their concept.
At the Gadget Show Live exhibition in April 2013, 4 final Make Something Unreal teams will bring their creations to the event, making changes, and showcasing those new developments live, twice a day on the show floor, capturing the imagination of those at the event, and the panel of judges.
“MSUL is a fantastic way of discovering the brightest minds and the best ideas in the student development community. The competition enables tomorrow’s stars to gain experience in every aspect of game development, from generating original ideas through to the pitch process, right up to a vertical slice of the gameplay experience,”
Said Mike Gambie, European Territory Manager at Epic Games.
“We’re delighted to be involved with Make Something Unreal Live, and to support and inspire a new generation of games developers. The Wellcome Trust is committed to using games and gaming culture as a means of engaging people with science, working to network the talent and knowledge of scientists and developers and offering a range of funding schemes.”
Said Dr. Daniel Glaser, Head of Special Projects at the Wellcome Trust.
Other prizes will be made known at a later date, but the UE4 Engine License is sure to be something to hone towards for the moment, and will be sure to get imaginations and ideas flowing to be brought forward for consideration.
For people wanting to participate in Make Something Unreal Live 2013, head over to for a briefing:
www.unrealengine.com/resources
Epic's Make Something Unreal game development competitions do more than awarding cash and prizes to winners and participants; they also kick start many careers, and allow the release of many commercially successful video games that otherwise probably wouldn't have seen light of day.
Are you interested in entering this competition for the chance of winning Epic's UE4 engine commercial license? Sound off as always down below.
