KUCHING – Three students from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus will leave for the US this Saturday (25 July) to represent Malaysia in the Microsoft Imagine Cup world finals in Seattle, Washington.
The competition starts from 27 to 31 July.
Multimedia design undergraduates Landon Chia Fei Ran, Stella Wang Tze Fang, and Sim Jia Ying are among the finalists from 33 countries vying for the title.
Imagine Cup is a global technology program and competition that provides opportunities for students across all disciplines to create applications, games and integrates solutions. Students have to form an original technology project from start to finish in the three main categories: Games, Innovation and World Citizenship.
The three Swinburne Sarawak students of team “SwinDesign” qualified for the world finals after emerging champion in the games category at the Malaysian and regional legs of the Imagine Cup in April.
Their creation, “Tou: The Sacrifice” an immerse exploration-horror game inspired by the culture and folklore of Sarawak’s Melanau community, requires players to navigate 2D and 3D environment in search of clues and solve puzzles in order to proceed to the next level.
“It feels great that something we have worked hard on has been recognized internationally. I have always wanted to create games that are interesting to play in an innovative way. This is my chance to show the world the possibilities,” said Chia.
For Wang, the competition is also a chance to showcase a Sarawak culture.
I’m glad to be able to present the Melanau culture on the international stage. We hope we can make Malaysia proud,” she said, adding that going to Seattle is a dream come true.
On the task at hand, she said: “The team is strong and has a clear goal to do well.”
Sim found creating the game to be one of her best experiences although “at times it was a little frustrating”.
“But with hard work, persistence and strong belief, our game is shaping up bit by bit. The growth of the game also reflects the growth in each of us in the team. I must say I am happy to represent Sarawak and Malaysia. We will do our very best.”
Joining them to the US is their mentor and Swinburne Sarawak multimedia design lecturer, John Hii.
“We’ve learnt a lot from having to create a project from start to finish. We’re excited to have come this far to compete with teams from around the world. We’re proud to represent our university and Malaysia,” Hii said.
“SwinDesign” stands to win the grand prize of more than RM180,000 (about US$50,000) plus other prizes in the world finals.