KUCHING – A game based on the theme of courtship won first prize in the inaugural Game Jam Competition which was held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, recently.

“Finding Thy Love” follows the journey of the protagonist Leo whose quest is to collect pieces of his lover’s heart by dodging and manoeuvring through obstacles.

The brains behind the game, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus multimedia design student Nehemia Raymond and Swinburne Sarawak alumnus Cassyarrisza Mcrawlin, walked away with the grand prize of a PS4 game console after beating seven other teams from public and private institutions of higher learning.

Nehemia said he was encouraged by his mentor and lecturer Lester Teo to take part in the competition.

“My aim for competing was to get as much experience as possible on game design but winning it was a bonus,” said Nehemia.

“The exposure helped me to hone the skills I’d learnt from the classroom,” said the Kuching lad.

The opportunity to create a game and have fun at the same time was something aspiring game designer Cassyarrisza could not pass.

“It was also a chance to network with participants from other institutions of higher learning and corporate bodies,” he said, adding that the competition enabled him to work with his mentors Augustus Raymond, the Associate Dean for Design at Swinburne Sarawak, and Kristian Lee, a multimedia design lecturer at the university.

“We are proud that our team won this event. The close collaboration and partnership between a current student and an alumnus, as well as the timely execution of experience and knowledge, paid off,” said Augustus.

Participants of Game Jam were given two days to come up with the concept and game design based on the overall theme of “Not Alone”.