Games Development tutor helps celebrate the gaming world while supporting people in lockdown

With life changing for everyone as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, @uk_ie The Association of UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) set about exploring ways in which people were gaming at home and how the art of gaming could be celebrated while supporting people in lockdown. The idea of a free colouring book depicting the world of gaming was developed and members of the gaming industry were invited to contribute their artwork based on the theme of ‘play at home’.

The Cambridge Regional College Level 3 Games Development team has worked closely with UKIE and Digital Schoolhouse for several years, so when tutor Chris Baker was invited to contribute to this new project, he jumped at the opportunity.

Chris was keen to explore both non-digital games and the digital world, so opted to create a variety of pieces. Chris said, I’ve always been a big fan of collectable card games so wanted to create a page where people could create their own cards and celebrate a more social style of play. My other piece was inspired by the sheer variety of games out there and how players can feel totally immersed in these digital worlds.’

Cambridge stands as one of the UK’s leading games design hubs; a growing sector that contributes 47,620 FTE jobs and over £2.87bn in GVA to the UK economy (Olsberg SPI/ BFI, Oct 2016).

Chris describes the UKIE and Digital Schoolhouse teams as creative, supportive and people that love having fun and this project is a clear example of that. The teams have identified a way to collate work from a range of artists and students across the country who are sharing their inspiration and love of gaming in a creative way. Not only does this resource bring people together from across the gaming world, but as a free downloadable resource available to everyone, it is providing a means of escape, creativity and mindfulness during these challenging times. Once pages have been coloured they can be shared with #ColourWithUkie inspiring a whole new generation of artists in lockdown.

Additionally, with the opportunity to make a voluntary donation to GamesAid, a charitable cause supporting a range of children’s charities through the power of games, this is a great way to support charities in the gaming industry!

Laura, UKIE says, ‘You will find a variety of interpretations of the main theme throughout; immortalising how a variety of people are playing at home at this very moment. I think this is poignant as we – the whole world – continue to endure this pandemic together and find comfort in activities that we love.’

Download your UKIE colouring book here, https://ukie.org.uk/free-colouring-book-download Donatiomns can be made to GamesAid at https://www.gamesaid.org/