An innovative duo’s plans to launch an independent games studio have been given a huge boost by being shortlisted for a £10,000 Deutsche Bank award.
James Broderick and Amber Jamieson, two 22-year-old Game Art graduates who are now studying for their Master’s at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), will have to present their business plan for their studio I_DO_TRI at the awards event in London on May 17.
As part of their coursework, the pair have started creating a new computer game which they plan to market commercially after they leave university later this year.
Their game, Phaneron, is a narrative-driven, exploration-based puzzle game. As the player your goal is to piece together your broken memories by journeying through an abstract dream land.
“It’s whimsical fantasy stuff mixed with dark undertones,” explained Amber, from south London. “We are trying to make something that is different.”
James, from Bristol, added: “Most games seem to be really narrative-heavy or gameplay-heavy. We want to fuse a strong narrative with gameplay, in our own unique way; mixing fantasy with human themes.
“I’ve wanted to start my own independent studio ever since I was at college so it’s a very exciting time for us.”
Amber added: “Does excited class as being very nervous and a bit scared about having to do this presentation and to live up to what we’ve stated in our proposal?
“I am excited, though, about meeting like-minded creative people. Even if we don’t win, it’ll be a great chance to network with other industry people who might be interested in funding or supporting us.”
The pair started collaborating in the first year of their Game Art degree course at DMU and have worked together on seven projects of varying size.
They founded I_DO_TRI during their final undergraduate year and are developing it while completing their Independent Study Master’s degree, with Amber’s role as art director creating the overall look of the game, while James is technical director, overseeing the gameplay and functionality.
They were given a lot of assistance with their award entry and business plan by Amy Maher, project manager for DMU’s Enterprise Team.
Their dream is to run I_DO_TRI as an independent studio after they leave DMU, initially working remotely from home, without an office and probably having to rely on crowd-funding to finance the venture.
RELATED NEWS
* Students pick up sky high Game Art ideas during New York trip
* Game Art students land top jobs before graduation
* Take a tour of DMU with our virtual open day
If they win the £10,000 first prize in the Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Enterprise (DBACE), their business plan would see them spend that on new computer equipment, software licensing costs and marketing and showcasing their game.
By being shortlisted as one of six entrants in the Craft and Design category, they have qualified for an intensive two-day small business training course in London, and the first prize also includes a year of business mentoring to help them set up their venture.
Keep tabs on their progress by following them on Twitter @I_DO_TRI_GAMES and reading their blog http://idotrigames.wixsite.com/blog
Posted on Friday 12 May 2017