Heritage Day has already come and gone, but HP doesn’t mind celebrating the occasion past the holiday’s sell-by date. In collaboration with RGB Gaming, HP is on the hunt for South Africa’s hottest gaming developers through the GameOn hackathon. And, hopefully, shower the winners with money. The announcement was unclear.
Before you start worrying about the prizes, someone needs to win the bloody thing first. Doing so involves beating out the other competitors taking part, which requires your team to design a game that “celebrates South African Heritage, blending culture, storytelling, and creativity.” And… be good. Eskommando, anyone?
It’s in the GameOn
Jaco Sauer co-founder at RGB Gaming excitedly exclaimed: “We are thrilled to bring the GameOn with HP Gaming Garage hackathon to life, giving game development enthusiasts 18+ a fantastic platform to unleash their creativity and contribute to game development in a meaningful way. We can’t wait to see how these young minds incorporate elements of South African culture into their creations.”
Team registration is currently open here, but make haste; submissions to get your team over the line close as soon as next week Sunday, 20 October. Should HP deem your idea worthy enough, it’s time to make the thing – with the help of ‘exclusive resources’ and guidance from the HP GameOn Gaming Garage course, which must also be completed before moving on to the next round, in addition to a working prototype by 10 November 2024.
Teams can comprise higher education students or 18+ game developers (though no more than three members) looking to make a name for themselves. HP reckons it can help with that last bit by sending the ten best teams to rAge (really Awesome gaming expo) on 29 and 30 November later this year, where they can present their games to a passionate crowd (and maybe some other developers).
Prizes will be available for the three best teams, announced on stage, though HP doesn’t mention exactly what those are. We’re guessing HP’s put a heavy reliance on exposure carrying the teams through, with all its talk that the winning teams will have the opportunity to interact with “industry leaders” of the field.
“HP is committed to walking the talk when it comes to empowering the next generation of talent. The GameOn with HP Gaming Garage hackathon, launched on Heritage Day, gives South African university students a real-world platform to apply their skills and celebrate their rich heritage. By blending culture, creativity, and coding, students can showcase their potential and contribute to the gaming industry” says Mayank Dhingra, senior education business leader at HP.
