SETU Students Excel at Annual Games Fleadh With Digital Art Leading the Way

South East Technological University (SETU) students gave an outstanding performance at the 21st annual Games Fleadh held on 6 March. Represented by students of digital art and design, games programming, and software development courses, the university showcased exceptional talent and innovation. Special recognition was given to SETU’s Digital Art team for their multitude of awards.

Technical artists on each team utilised a diverse range of cutting-edge technologies to bring their visions to life. From Linux and Windows platforms to specialized tools like Assembly, C++, Aseprite, Blender, Photoshop, JavaScript and rosco68k. Each project was a testament to the students’ expertise and dedication.

Nigel Whyte, Head of the Department of Computing at SETU in Carlow, commented, “SETU’s technical artists have truly raised the bar with their exceptional work in digital art. In an age where generative AI is reshaping the creative landscape, our students have shown remarkable skill and ingenuity in harnessing traditional digital art tools and techniques.”

The games were evaluated by a panel of distinguished judges from the games industry, technology sector, and academia, who lauded the quality of digital art produced by SETU’s students. Philip Bourke, Course Director, expressed his pride in the teams, stating, “Our students have demonstrated advanced technical art skills that are truly impressive. SETU is not only home to some of the finest technical art talent in Ireland but is also a hub for innovation and creativity.”

SETU students were successful across several categories. Students Olawole Abayomi-Owodunni, Jad Fuhr, and Jakub Stepien received an overall award for Best Game built using Game Libraries for ‘Reclaim’. Emily Breen, Stephen Dunne, Rachel O’Connor, and Danny Delaney’s ‘Bronz Age Brawl’ received the awards for Best Gameplay and Best Game Mechanic. While David Strikaitis, Veronika Syncakova, Adam Sharpe, Emma McDonald, and Callum Nolan’s ‘StarBean’ won Best Audio and Best User Interface Design awards. Additionally, Ihor Antonov’s ‘Motorola Mayhem received a special mention at the event.

The success at the Games Fleadh highlights the university’s commitment to nurturing talent and fostering excellence in digital art and game development. With their remarkable achievements, the students have once again cemented the SETU’s reputation as a leader in the field.

For more information on digital art and design, gaming, and software development courses, visit setu.ie