A new competition is challenging University of Glasgow students to celebrate the life and legacy of Lord Kelvin through gaming.
 
The Kelvin Games Jam, which is being launched today (Monday 23 September), is open to students across the University’s four Colleges.
 
They will be tasked with developing a playable game or concept for a game which casts new light on Lord Kelvin’s scientific achievements, with the best entry set to win a prize worth £500.

The Kelvin Games Jam logo
 
The Kelvin Games Jam is part of the University’s ongoing celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs, better known around the world as Lord Kelvin.
 
Born on June 26th 1824, Kelvin was one of the 19th century’s most accomplished scientists. His achievements include key contributions to the design and laying of the world’s first transatlantic telegraph cable, which enabled communications between Europe and the United States, and the development of the laws of thermodynamics.
 
Today he is perhaps best-remembered for establishing the absolute scale of temperature which we now know as the Kelvin scale.
 
The Kelvin Games Jam tasks participants with coding or envisioning games which are fun to play and touch on the concepts of risk-taking, innovation, and scientific exploration, each of which were reflected in Kelvin’s own life and research.
 
Participants must develop their ideas based on specific aspects of Kelvin’s work, including communication challenges, energy resource management, chirality, or addressing and creatively correcting some of the shortcomings of Kelvin's concepts.
 
Dr Tim Peacock, of the School of Humanities, is the leader of the University’s Games and Gaming Lab. He will be one of the Kelvin Games Jam’s judging panel. He said: “Games can offer us new perspectives on the world, new ways to understand our history, and new ways to learn about ourselves and others through play.
 
“I’m excited to be part of the Kelvin Games Jam, which encourages students to creatively to engage with Lord Kelvin’s work and find new ways to deepen appreciation of his intellect and achievements. I’m looking forward to seeing what our students come up with.”
 
Individual students and teams of up to five members can apply to compete in the Kelvin Games Jam. On Monday 4th November, they will attend a two-hour workshop in the Queen Margaret Union’s Games Space to learn more about the challenge, before going off to work on their designs and submitting them before noon on Wednesday 13th November.
 
Then, on Thursday 14th November, their designs will go on display for the judging panel and to the public in the University’s Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC). Later that day, after the judges have evaluated the submissions, a winner will be chosen to receive the prize.
 
Participants can register for the Kelvin Games Jam on Bookitbee.

First published: 10 October 2024

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