Student teams are primed for FXP Festival 2021 as it launches new virtual format

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FXP Festival, the education initiative centred on game design and development for young people, has kicked off its 2021 ‘event’ for participating school teams across Cambridgeshire. Arriving in a brand-new virtual format and drawing on expertise from the industry, FXP Festival 2021 will provide students with a range of new and exciting challenges over the coming weeks.

FXP Festival 2021 has three core modules which are being led by experts from within the industry:

Game Narrative – led by Raymond Vermeulen, Narrative Designer at Genjoy, a Scopely Studio. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in mentor drop-in sessions with a Senior Creative Producer from Ninja Theory
Game Concept & Design – led by Mark Ogilvie, Creative Director at Jagex
Game Production – led by Matthew Holland, freelance writer, game designer and developer

The first module, which includes an exclusive video from Raymond Vermeulen featuring hints and tips for the students to get started, went live for teams to access on 26 April. The second and third modules will be available for participating teams on Wednesday 5 May and Monday 10 May respectively; following this, students will have six weeks to work on their projects. As in previous years, teams are tasked with responding to a surprise theme – which, for 2021, is PRIME, revealed to students by Mark Ogilvie, Creative Director at Jagex and FXP Festival Trustee.

Student teams are required to submit their final projects on Friday 2 July 2021. Joining the three expert leads on the judging panel will be representatives from Roll7, the BAFTA Award winning studio, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust.

There are over 70 teams participating in FXP Festival 2021, including teams from: Stephen Perse Foundation, St Peter’s School, Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Chesterton Community College, Impington Village College, alongside six schools from Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust.

Alison Taylor, FXP Festival Co-founder and Trustee and Managing Director of Conscious Communications, comments: “I am very excited to announce that FXP Festival 2021 is now up and running! The enthusiasm of participating teams has been infectious and we can’t wait to see how they will get involved with the modules and respond to the surprise theme. In a year that has been particularly difficult for many schools and colleges across the country, we hope that our 2021 FXP Festival will bring back a sense of excitement and fun to young people in our community.”

FXP Festival is still open for registrations and its new format takes into consideration both current and predicted COVID-19 restrictions, allowing local schools and their teachers to flexibly manage the programme within their timetables and to complete the activities either at school, or virtually via their preferred distance learning platform. Thanks to FXP Festival’s sponsors and supporters, including Jagex, Qualcomm, Arm and Anglia Ruskin University, the festival remains completely free for all wishing to participate.

To find out more about getting involved please contact Joanna Colley at [email protected].