The 12th Annual Game Development Competition for students at secondary schools and universities

CYENS Center of Excellence in collaboration with the Departments of Computer Science at the University of Cyprus and the University of Nicosia organise, under the auspices of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and the Youth, and Cyta as the Major Sponsor, the 12th Competition “GDC / LOGPAIGNION 2022” for the school / academic year 2021-2022.

The competition has been organised with great success for eleven consecutive years and is aimed at students attending Gymnasiums, Lyceums, Technical and Private Schools and Universities of Cyprus. The “GDC / LOGIPAIGNION” competition is especially important for both students of the secondary and technical education, as well as university students, since it encourages inventiveness and creativity, as well as logical and analytical thought in solving complex problems. Computer game creation incorporates all the above and in addition it necessitates cooperation, communication, and coordination between team members. At the same time, the educational aspect of the game development process is highlighted through the necessity to apply specific sub-skills in the process such as the use of graphic design tools and programming while working in the context of topics that interest our young people. 

In addition, the growing interest in science and technology, graphics, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, etc., create the need for an event such as this one. The event, unique in its kind in Cyprus, offers a creative outlet for young people to employ their skills and abilities and will give a boost to their enthusiasm for game development while at the same time, it may inspire more people to explore this route.

An announcement has already been made in schools about the competition. The deadline for registrations is December 17, 2021. The students are expected to be organized in groups, which should be led by a supervisor/counselor who can be either a teacher or another adult, with the written consent of the participant’s parents or guardians. The aim is to develop or design a computer game. Last day of game submission is March 31, 2022, and the final of the competition is expected to be held on May 14, 2022. In addition, all participants in the competition will have the opportunity to attend seminars and workshops by experts on designing and developing computer games. The seminars and workshops are scheduled for January and February 2022 in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos.

This year a theme/element has been defined for each category

• Junior Track (Gymnasium students): Water
• Senior Track (Lyceum students): Wind
• Advanced Track (University students): Earth
• Game Design Track (all ages): Sun.

The prizes, that will be offered by Cyta, the Major Sponsor, will be awarded to the three best teams in each category.

It is important to note that the competition is about the creation of purely educational games and entries should not contain material that is inappropriate, obscene, abusive, or defamatory, they do not promote discrimination or violence against humans or animals, and do not include scenes or events of violence.

The competition is supported again this year by Wargaming, that contributes with the participation of its experts in seminars and workshops that will be offered to the participants in the competition, and an advisory role for the duration of the competition.

The competition has the media support of Phileleftheros Group and radio station Active, as well as the television station Alpha Cyprus. The event is also supported by the Departments of Computer Science at the universities Frederick, Neapolis Paphos and UCLan Cyprus, with their active participation both in the seminars and workshops and in the promotion of the competition. Finally, the Cyprus Computer Association and the Cyprus Youth Board support the competition by offering significant assistance in promoting the institution and its goals. 
For more information, interested parties can visit the competition page at https://gdc.cy.