CODE offers travel grants for Dunedin game developers

(Dunedin, 19 November 2019) The Dunedin-based New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE), in partnership with the New Zealand Game Developers Association (NZGDA), is offering three $5000 travel grants to Dunedin-based game developers to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, California in March 2020.

The grants are included as part of the NZGDA’s 2020 Scholarship Programme.

Dunedin was confirmed as New Zealand’s new Centre of Digital Excellence on 30 October and will act as a national hub to support the development of a $1 billion video game industry over the next ten years. It has been backed by $10 million from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund.

Enterprise Dunedin, Dunedin City Council’s economic development unit, is leading CODE’s establishment in partnership with Economic Development Strategy partners and industry.

CODE Working Group and NZGDA Board member, Tim Ponting, says the travel grants are an exciting opportunity for anyone in Dunedin involved in the game development industry – from students to indies, to studio employees.

“The Game Developers Conference is an awesome event, but we know it can be a very expensive proposition attending an event on the other side of the world. Although CODE is still in its establishment period, we were keen to take up the opportunity to link in with the NZGDA scholarship programme to get some of Dunedin’s game development community to San Francisco in March and to build momentum for CODE”.

Mr Ponting said the CODE travel grants to the Game Developers Conference would focus on people who can bring back some kind of benefit to the Dunedin game development community.

“If going to the conference could help you learn some skills valuable to your studio, pitch your next project to a publisher, or anything else that helps push forward the success of game development in Dunedin, then this is for you.”

Enterprise Dunedin’s Economic Development Programme Manager, Fraser Liggett, says one of CODE’s objectives is to support workforce diversity within the industry and preference will be given to CODE grant applications supporting this objective.

“The CODE grants are particularly focused on supporting Dunedin people who are underrepresented in the industry. We’re keen to assist people with an interest in game development wanting to develop their knowledge and skills, and who can share these with the wider Dunedin game development community.”

Grant applications close Friday 30 November at midnight.

For further information and the link to eligibility criteria and the grant application, go to:
https://www.dunedinnz.com/CODE/code-news

ENDS

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