University of Portsmouth graduates win big at national video game development awards

Several University of Portsmouth graduates have been named winners of this year’s TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2024.

TIGA, the trade association representing the UK’s video games industry, hosted a ceremony earlier this month to recognise outstanding students, education providers and best practice.

A number of former Portsmouth students took home awards, including alumni Amy Elliott who won ‘Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Programmer’. She has also recently received the 'Tomorrow's Star' award for her programming work at the Develop: Star Awards in Brighton.

Amy, 22, recently graduated with a First Class BSc (Hons) in Computer Games Technology and works as a Junior Programmer at Sumo Digital. She said: “I’m super grateful to have received this award. This has been a fantastic opportunity to showcase and reflect on the progress I’ve made in programming during my time at University. I hope to use this win to help advocate for more women in coding roles to create a more inclusive industry.”

The award for ‘Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Audio’ went to Jamie Russell. Jamie, 21, studied Computer Games Technology at the University of Portsmouth. He said: “The TIGA education awards have been an incredible opportunity to showcase all the hard work and technical improvements I have experienced during my course. I feel so grateful and proud to have been able to win in my category and to have represented the university.”

Finally, the ‘Creative Assembly Best Student Game’ award went to the University of Portsmouth team, for their game ‘Curation’. The group is made up of 11 Portsmouth graduates including Gabe Stott, Denisa Maximová, Tom Laughlin, Ollie Wright, Ethan Munday, Michael Williams, Conrad Schroder, Rob Cole, George Smith, Federico Rossi, and Chris Jarman.

Gabe Stott, 25, studied BSc (Hons) in Computer Games Production. He produced ‘Curation’ and explained the premise of the game: “Curation is a casual management sim in which you build, expand, and curate a museum. Buy and sell artefacts to attract guests, earn their donations, and improve your museum's rating!”

Some winners, like many students who have pursued a career in game development, were able to hone their skills at the annual University Gamejam. The week-long event brings together staff, students, alumni and professionals to create a game. It was set up by University of Portsmouth staff in 2009 and has since  included events in China, USA and Europe. 

Gamejam co-organiser, Clifford Phillips from the University’s Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR), said: “I’m immensely proud of the winners. Amy won during our 2019 University Gamejam event, and it’s great to see her take her passion for game development and turn it into a career.”

All winners were selected on a number of criteria, including for having the best exam result; best module grade; best showreel/portfolio; best project; and being the most improved student out of the nominees.

A list of all this year’s winners can be found here. You can also re-watch the ceremony via the livestream here. 

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said: “The TIGA Games Education Awards recognise excellence in education. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees – your dedication, creativity, and passion are truly inspiring. Congratulations also to the universities who entered the TIGA Games Education Awards and for your commitment and enthusiasm. We are also very grateful to our sponsors, Creative Assembly, Sumo Group, and Lockwood Publishing, for their continued support in nurturing the next generation of game development superstars.”

The University of Portsmouth excels in competitive gaming with 701 National Students Esports (NSE) players, providing a robust environment for those eager to compete. It offers a blend of competitive opportunities and community engagement, catering to the diverse needs of the gaming community.

This year Portsmouth was rated Gold Tier for social opportunities for gamers by Uswitch broadband experts, who assessed several key factors. These included the number of Esports players from NSE,  Discord followers, and Twitch followers. This analysis aimed to find out which institution creates the most supportive environment for online gamers.