Student Game Developers take home coveted titles as Ireland’s Games Fleadh celebrates 20 years at TUS

Pictured at Games Fleadh 2023 were, Diarmuid De Frates, Enda Craughwell, Victor Costello, Ben Breen Martin and Fabrizio De Fiore, Team GG, TUS Athlones game Caption GiGi Great Escape was named Best Game built using a Game Engine. Picture: Alan Place

Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) won five categories at the 2023 Games Fleadh on March 8 – Ireland’s largest Digital Games Programming Festival, hosted at TUS, Thurles Campus.

Celebrating 20 years of Games Fleadh, the Games Design & Development competition once again saw the brightest and best of the country’s Third-level student game developers come together to battle it out for 13 coveted titles. Competitors, competing as teams, were asked to focus on the theme ‘Endless Runner’ and design action-packed games to test the mobility of the runner and skills of the player.

The event featured a number of guest speakers from Romero Games and Electronic Arts. BAFTA award-winning Game Designer Brenda Romero led the way, speaking about the important role of women in technology and their many contributions in celebration of International Women’s Day.

First year programming students also participated in Robocode, providing an opportunity to demonstrate their programming abilities and advance their knowledge of GUI programming, API usage and Artificial Intelligence. The Robocode 2023 competition was won by Dundalk IT.

The TUS Games Fleadh 2023 winners included:

• Best in Game Narrative for Dimension Run
• Best in Game Play for Caption GiGi Great Escape
• Highly Commended UI Design for Jungle Rumble
• Highly Commended for Game Play – Paper Trail
• Best Game Built Using a Game Engine for Caption GiGi Great Escape

Congratulating this year’s winners, Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of TUS, said, “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to this year’s Games Fleadh winners and to all who competed in the 20th edition of this annual competition. The gaming industry has changed significantly over the last two decades and is now one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy, providing new career opportunities for graduates. Huge opportunities await the young student developers of Ireland and we are proud to play a part in recognising and celebrating these student game developers.”

Dr Liam Noonan, Games Fleadh 2023 Organiser and Game Design & Development Degree Lecturer at TUS, said, “Once again, we saw a very high level of talent on display at this year’s Games Fleadh and I want to offer huge congratulations to the participants and winners who made life difficult for our judging panel of industry experts. I would like to thank our sponsors, Electronic Arts, and all other supporters who contribute massively to the success of Games Fleadh each year. We look forward to recognising and celebrating the student game developers of Ireland for many more years to come.”

List of Winners, Games Fleadh 2023: