Dave Jones to judge £2k student game contest

The former creative director at collapsed Dundee studio Realtime Worlds is to make his first tentative steps back into the industry by standing as a judge on an upcoming game development contest.

Dave Jones will review entries in a game prototype competition currently open to any aspiring students based in Scotland.

The contest has been established by the Scottish Government, which aims to launch the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games’ website with a free-to-play game in place.

The competition will award first and second-place entrants £2,000 each, with the winning developer given the chance to co-develop their game with Dundee outfit 4J Studios – developers of numerous titles including the recent Perfect Dark XBLA port.

Jones’s next career move has been a matter of speculation since August last year, when his studio Realtime Worlds entered administration and eventually closed.

In his first high-profile return to industry developments, he said: “I am very much looking forward to judging the Scottish Government’s digital games contest which undoubtedly will see ideas to match the exciting occasion of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.”

Develop has been told that 4J Studios has been awarded around £40,000 to help develop the student entry.

Shona Robison, a minister for Public Health and Sport, said games development sector “is a Scottish success story and a vital part of our creative industries”.

“As a result I have no doubt that the creativity and imagination of our students will result in a game that is fitting to mark the Commonwealth Games coming to Scotland in 2014,” she added.

Go here to find more on the contest.