Show at Abertay delivers glimpse into the future

MORE than 1,000 visitors converged on Aber tay University in Dundee at the weekend to catch a glimpse of the future of computer games design.

The Aber tay Digital Graduate Show (ADGS), which sees more than 170 students showcase their work, runs until tomorrow at the Aber tay union building.

Final-year students from the university’s school of arts, media and computer games displayed innovative and i n some cases award-winning work — their first tentative steps into an i ndustry which is t hought t o be worth almost £77 billion worldwide.

Some of the most popular stands at t he show included a sandpit that uses an interactive projector, a game highlighting elderly l oneliness and a Triple A horror prototype.

Children and parents learned about Abertay’s computer arts courses by creating 3D worlds from paper before an afternoon programming session using Minecraft and bananas.

Clare Brennan, ADGS lead and Abertay curator, said this year’s show was the biggest in the university’s history.

She said: “The event has been non-stop since our VIP launch night on Friday and t here has literally been something for everyone.”

On Saturday evening, a special Pecha Kucha talk was held on campus celebrating 20 years of Abertay being the first university in the world to offer degreelevel qualifications in game design.

Pecha Kucha is a presentation style i n which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each — a format designed to keep presentations concise and fast-paced.

More than 300 people took part in the anniversary discussion, which saw presentations from graduates i ncluding Ubisoft art director Liam Wong, Danny Parker, from Ninja Kiwi, and Timea Tabori, of Rockstar North.