Matt Martin 15:11 (BST)
03/04/2008

Channel 4 is to sponsor Dare to be Digital, the international games development competition for students, in a deal which 4Dare director Paul Durrant told GamesIndustry.biz involved a "significant six figure sum".

The UK broadcaster will sponsor the regional centres hosting the competition in Brighton, Cardiff, Dublin, Dundee, Frankfurt and Birmingham, as well as the major Dare ProtoPlay showcase events in Edinburgh and London.

"As games are important way of reaching younger audiences, we think the partnership with Dare to Be Digital is an ideal way for us to work with this sector in a way that is true to Channel 4's strengths - supporting talent, encouraging innovation and diversity, and taking risks on new ideas," commented Matt Locke, commissioning editor of education for Channel 4.

The competition brings together teams of arts and science students to produce a game prototype in just ten weeks. As well as teams from the UK and Europe, Indian and Chinese students will also be taking part this year.

"Our partnership with Channel 4 is a marker for both the shift in media audiences and the broad appeal of videogames across many different distribution channels," added Durrant.

"4Dare ProtoPlay is a live extravaganza bringing all of the exciting dimensions of video games together with the opportunity to meet the talented young designers of the future and learn how games are created in a highly social environment."