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Student-made game, Bumper Bear, announced as Play by Play finalist

Afterglow, a games studio created by current third-year students has recently had their game 'Bumper Bear' announced as a finalist of the renowned Play by Play festival.

Play by Play is an annual, week-long interactive festival that aims to promote and encourage play for all, as well as showcase grassroots game development talent from New Zealand.

The festival strives to showcase the best games developers in Australasia have to offer in this exciting new medium and create an accessible, welcoming atmosphere where people can discover the true extent of play.

This year we have local games studio, Afterglow, nominated as a finalist for their multiplayer game, Bumper Bear. Playing as one of their many iconic bears, it is your goal to crash into anyone and everyone, and be the remaining survivor on the ring of ice.

Afterglow is comprised of current third-year students, Merlyn Darmawan, Caitlin Kilmister, Cameron Peet, Juan Alejandro Rodriguez, and Mitchell Currie. Within this team is a balance of Game Programmers and Game Artists, and we could not be more proud of the work they have created.

In addition to this Media Design School nomination, Reverie, an action adventure game, has also been nominated as a finalist. It is the love-child of three graduates (Jared Trail, Tom Butler and Daniel Airey), and their games studio Rainbite

Reverie is set on a fictional island in New Zealand and follows a narrative that is closely intertwined with the legend of Maui and the Giant Fish. The game is also now available on PS Vita and very shortly, PlayStation 4!

Good luck to all of those involved, and we wish you the very best.

Winners will be announced at the Play by Play Awards Evening (22 April, 2018) in Wellington, which follows the Play by Play Conference (21 April, 2018). More details can be found here:

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