Herts students excel in the annual TIGA Games Awards
Nominations have been announced for this year’s TIGA Education Awards and Games Industry Awards, celebrating excellence in games development and education – and the University of Hertfordshire’s students and staff are once again recognised across several categories.
In TIGA’s Education Awards, Herts students have received nominations for Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year in the Artist and Production/Enterprise categories, and for Postgraduate of the Year.
The University itself has also been shortlisted for its work across inclusion, industry partnerships and teaching, picking up nominations for the Innovative Teaching Award, Diversity Award and Excellence in University: Industry Collaboration.
Finally, completing a fantastic set of nominations for Herts at the Education Awards, student-made game My Shadow has been nominated for the Creative Assembly Best Student Game. This horror-themed puzzle platformer game, developed by recent graduate Finley Searle during his time on the BA (Hons) 3D Games Art & Design, is set in a surreal dreamscape where players are forced to confront their great enemy – themselves.
Winners of the TIGA Education Awards will be announced on Friday 29 September. In the TIGA Games Industry Awards, announced in a ceremony on Thursday 16 November, the University is also nominated in two categories: Best Education Initiative and Best Educational Institution.
TIGA has also recently released its annual ‘Graduate of the Year’ list, an accolade that recognises excellent student work in animation and game design across UK universities and colleges. Herts student Darina Koycheva is one of just 10 students in the country to be awarded Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year in more than one category – receiving the award for Computer Games Technology and Production/Enterprise. Seven other Herts graduates and postgraduates are also recognised amongst the winners: Diana Karakushyan, Maxine Lugg, Muthuramalingam Ponnilavan, Zuzana Remenarova, Safwan Sadik, Finley Searle and Reshu Shrestha.
Neil Gallagher, Senior Lecturer in Games Art and Design, said: “We are always hugely proud of the work that our students achieve, and to have this recognition from an industry-leading body is a fantastic confirmation of their success. We have a strong record at the TIGA awards, and I’m pleased to see this building year on year. I wish all our nominees the very best of luck!”
TIGA is the trade association for the games industry and a network for games developers and publishers. Its aim is to campaign for the industry in the political sphere, raise the profile of the industry’s achievements, promote best practice among employers, and enhanced education and skills. Last year, six Herts students and graduates were nominated and two came away with awards.
See the TIGA website for the full list of nominations. Visit our Animation, Games, Film and Media pages to learn more about the courses available at Herts.
Image: Alder's Bane, game cinematic produced by University of Hertfordshire students. Artwork by Diana Karakushyan.