24-hour game marathon

Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Vocational School organized the ‘Gameathon 5.0’ event to increase the interest of high school students in the rapidly developing gaming sector. A total of 77 students from 8 high schools in Izmir competed for 24 hours to design the best game. At this year’s event, which was held with the theme ‘Gölge’ (Shadow), the young participants fiercely competed to come first by preparing games on different topics such as adventure, strategy, sports, and action. The games designed by 20 different teams were highly praised by the jury, which included industry representatives. Before the competition, Game Product Manager İnci Bayramoğlu also delivered a presentation to the young people titled ‘Game Publishing and Launch Strategies on Steam’.

The young people who participated in the Gameathon 5.0 event, organized by IUE Vocational School's Computer Programming Program, not only got to know the gaming sector closely but also gained significant experience in determining the right career path. IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hakan Abacıoğlu also visited the event, chatted with the young people, and observed the work being done on-site. At the event, which took place in the IUE Conference Hall, 46 university students also provided mentorship support to the high school students. At the end of the Gameathon 5.0 event, the team named ‘Buzzertal 3’ achieved first place. The ‘Buzzertal 2’ team came second, while the team called ‘Acil Kod Lazım’ took third place.

‘A BRIDGE BETWEEN UNIVERSITY AND HIGH SCHOOL’

Stating that they organized the Gameathon 5.0 event with intense participation this year as well, Emre Küheylan, Director of the IUE Vocational School, said, “By bringing young talents from different high schools together with our Computer Programming students and academic staff, we built a strong bridge between the university and the high school. During the 24-hour process, the students not only experienced game development but also time management, creative problem-solving, and turning an idea into a prototype. We are aware that the gaming sector is a rapidly growing, multidisciplinary field both globally and in Turkey. For this reason, we attach great importance to students recognizing this ecosystem and taking part in the production side. We see Gameathon 5.0 as a powerful starting point that brings the imagination of young people together with technology and transforms them into the creative professionals of the future.”

‘THEY EXPERIENCED TEAMWORK’

IUE Computer Programming Program lecturers Dr. Hüseyin Tokat, Turgay Zülam, and Burak Evrentuğ pointed out that one of the most important outcomes of the event was teamwork. They stated, “Such events show young people how correctly utilizing strengths within a team, instead of ‘being good alone’, increases success. Furthermore, the jury evaluation involving industry representatives allowed students to receive real-world feedback on the work they produced. Thanks to this feedback, the young people saw professional criteria, such as user experience, sustainable design, playability, and presentation language, beyond just producing a popular idea.”