Riyadh, April 29, 2024, The Saudi Electronic University (SEU), in collaboration with HP and AMD, has initiated the “GameOn” hackathon, themed “From Diriyah, the ancient capital, to Neom, the city of the future."
This hackathon, hosted by SEU, invites Saudi students interested in enhancing their skills in games and e-sports to join through the link: https://hpgaming.untapcompete.com. The event challenges participants to bridge Saudi Arabia's historical richness with its futuristic vision.
Dr. Asmaa Al-Hammadi, the hackathon supervisor, explained that the objective is to equip students with essential programming, game development, and e-sports management skills. The goal is to foster healthy competition among university students, encouraging them to produce innovative outcomes that showcase Saudi culture and heritage while making a global impact.
Registration for the hackathon closes on May 10, 2024, and is open to bachelor's program students using their university email account. Teams can consist of two to three students from different universities, with projects aligning with Saudi culture and heritage. Participants must have completed at least 70% of a self-paced learning course on the edX platform.
The hackathon comprises three rounds. In the first round, participants submit an electronic game storyboard highlighting the game's connection to Saudi culture. The second round involves creating and programming the game, leading to the selection of winners in each category. Qualifying teams progress to the third stage, where SEU provides incubation support, technical assistance, and connects winners with potential investors.
The hackathon offers prizes in three challenge categories: Real-World Games depicting Saudi cultural heritage, Location-Based Games enhancing heritage site experiences, and Discovery Games providing insights into Saudi cultural heritage through virtual museum experiences.
These games aim to educate and engage players in Saudi cultural heritage, offering interactive experiences and highlighting historical events, traditional art, shared values, and storytelling elements in specific locations like Diriyah, AlUla, and Asir.
