Dare To Be Digital Game Winner

Britain’s Dare to be Digital video game contest was won by Ragnarawk, a guitar-controlled game.   By now, many people are becoming familiarwith games that use guitar controllers. But you’d better be prepared for a new one that might hit the market soon.   Ragnarawk took major honors in the eighth annual contest, scooping theCommercial Potential prize, as well as the Audience Award, which based on votes given during a showcase at which the public could try out all 12 Dare to be Digital entrants.   Among the otherentrants, Bear Go Home, where players have to guide a bear through a fantasy land, won the Innovation and Creativity Prize, while ClimbActic, which involves players having characters of vastlydiffering characters climbing mountains.   All the winners took home checks for $5,000 and were entered in the Bafta One to Watch contest,whose prizes will be awarded on October 23.   Dare to be Digital is run by the University of Abertay Dundee, and is a contest with a twist – the teams ofstudent designers have just 10 weeks to come up with the working prototype of a game.   The idea for Ragnarawk was conceived two years ago, according to Malcolm Brown of team Voodoo Boogy, whichcreated it.   "We’re big fans of role-playing games and rhythm games," he said, "though originally it used a dance mat and you danced at your enemies." But bringing in notonly a guitar controller, but also an artist and guitarist changed the focus, and prompted them to create a guitar-playing game.   Ragnarawk should be available for download soon, so flex thosefingers.