As the information-dense headline might imply, there’s a new game development tool on the block. Aimed at a teenage audience Games Unpacked has been created by the University of Abertay, in conjunction with BAFTA, as part of the Young Game Designers competition.
Games Unpacked has been built using Unity 3D and provides a framework for young developers to bring their ideas to life. All for free. There are examples galore and titles for users to download, play and edit.
While Games Unpacked is not a fundamental aspcet of the Young Game Designers competition, it gives kids another tool to help them understand and design their own games and upload them into a community of other developers and players.
Abertay and BAFTA gave the game a public demonstration during August’s Dare ProtoPlay event, exposing a huge range of kids to the programme’s simple drag and drop controls.
Paul Durrant, Director of Business Development at Abertay University, said: “Every young person I know absolutely loves playing games, and Games Unpacked is a fun and easy way to take the next step into making their own games.
“By creating a simple ‘digital toolbox’ of all the elements of a game level, children of any age can build a brand new game and start learning about the fascinating process of games development.”
Niyi Akeju, BAFTA Producer for Audience Development Projects, said: “Games Unpacked is an additional offering on the BAFTA Young Game Designers website, and we look forward to seeing how visitors engage with the package.”
The deadline for the 2011 Young Game Designer Competition is looming. Entries close on Monday 24th October.