19th Irish Games Fleadh Returns to TUS with a Clear Message on Supporting Positive Climate Action

• Student developers design games with a retro feel of the past, but with a clear message for the future.

• TUS team win 5 category at Games Fleadh 2022.

Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) won five categories at the hotly contested Irish Games Fleadh 2022, hosted by TUS, Thurles Campus. 

The popular all island gaming competition returned after a one year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with organisers opting to run a virtual competition this year while once again focusing on a social issue.

This year competitors were asked to concentrate on the UN Sustainable Development Goals by designing games around the theme Positive Action to Support Climate Change.

Teams from third level colleges competed for one of the 12 coveted titles, while Year 1 students also participated in Robocode as part of Games Fleadh 2022, the final of which was held on Wednesday March 23, 2022. This was won by Carlow IT.

The TUS Games Fleadh 2022 wins included: 

• Highly Commended Programming Implementation for the game Disaster Squad.
• Best in User Interface Design for the game Fed Up
• Best in Game Mechanics for the game Pixie Quest
• Best in Use of Physics Algorithms also for the game Pixie Quest
• Best in Use of Artificial Intelligence also for Disaster squad

Following the announcement of the winners on Friday, April 1, President of TUS Professor Vincent Cunnane said the 2022 Games Fleadh had once again recognised the skills and talents of the country’s best student game developers.

“A huge congratulations must go to all competitors who continued to develop their skills amid the challenges of the pandemic, and their teachers, who supported them so that they are ready to take their place in this ever growing €148.8 billion industry. I would also like to acknowledge the support industry leaders have lent to this annual competition, which is indicative of TUS’s ethos of working with employers to ensure our students are at the cutting edge of this ever developing industry and therefore have the skill set to be work ready on graduation.”

Head of Department of Information Technology TUS Dr Janice O’Connell reflected on how information technology and game development can support positive action on environmental and social issues.

“The Games Fleadh is a fantastic event which brings together the various dimensions of IT and how the application of IT can help solve and support positive action, with this years focus on Climate Action. The Games Fleadh highlights the wonderful and diverse career opportunities and is an excellent demonstration of the integration of industry, academia, students, future students,  and the creativity and imagination of Games. We are very proud that all our IT programmes employ current state of the art technology, are industry led and provide a foundation for students for launching their career in future technology,” she said.

Games Fleadh Organiser and Game Design & Development Degree Lecturer at TUS Dr Liam Noonan paid tribute to the international companies and national organisations that continue to support the event year on year. 

“Without sponsors such as EA games and the support of games companies across Ireland, Games Fleadh would not be the success that it is every year. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the National Youth Council of Ireland this year, who’s focus on games for youth development mirrors Games Fleadh’s philosophy that gaming can be used for social, environmental and indeed positive culture change,” he said.

A spokesperson for the National Youth Council of Ireland added, “The National Youth Council of Ireland are delighted to be involved with the TUS Games Fleadh and support the games development competition.  The NYCI STEAM in Youth Work engagement programme and the Global Youth Work programme run training courses, such as SDGames training courses, to support youth workers to use games in youth work. We focus on the use of games for development education in youth work and therefore particularly welcome that the Fleadh’s theme this year has been taken from the SDGs with a focus on positive action to support climate action.”

List of Winners, Games Fleadh 2022:

Robocode Winner:

• 1^st – IT Carlow
• 2^nd – DKIT
• 3^rd – Maynooth University
• 4^th – University of Limerick
• 5^th – TUS