Design games that can be played on Mars, win Dh390,000 scholarship in Dubai

A full scholarship worth Dh390,000 is up for grabs for two students who will be able to design a winning game that astronauts or future explorers can play while on - or en route to - Mars.
The scholarship is for the four-year Bachelor of Design programme at the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), and the offer is part of a competition that has been launched by DIDI, aiming to inspire future game designers.
Mohammad Abdullah, president of DIDI, said: "With the upcoming UAE space mission to Mars, this is a way to engage students in a very contemporary topic. They can see this coming to life here, and to be able to contribute ideas to this exciting project is a way for them to see the many applications of design and innovation to the careers of the future.
"One of the most important messages we need people to understand is the huge applicability a design and innovation degree can provide for so many careers, from virtual reality to multimedia. There's an obvious demand for talent in areas, ranging from user experiences to apps, wearable technology to textile."
Participants will have to ensure that their games can boost the physical and mental wellbeing of future space travellers. Concepts for the game include a toy that relies on zero-gravity conditions; a video game that uses VR; or a sports game that encourages physical activities such as extreme football.
The games shall enable the travellers to perform athletic activities and maintain muscle capacity, bone density, as well as cardiovascular health, especially during lengthy space journeys.
"For the past several decades since humans started living in space, it was recognised that leisure time for people in confined environments is critical and has a stimulating effect on an astronaut's mental state and fitness, and would, therefore, contribute to the work efficiency and psycho-physiological sanity of a crew. Leisure activities were scheduled according to each mission and an astronaut's interest, as well as the psychosocial crew climate," the online guidelines for the competition said.
"Some of the leisure activities include video games, board games, watching movies, video-calling loved ones, reading, listening or playing music, self-education, drawing, tinkering, or simply gazing upon Earth. However, when you're on Mars, a lot of these leisure activities become impossible, such as video-calling (given the time delay between Earth and Mars) or looking upon Earth."
The UAE's first astronaut, Hazza Al Mansouri, will also be living in space - at the International Space Station (ISS) - for eight days. After the success of the first mission, Emirati astronauts will be going to the ISS for longer stays.
The scholarships are being sponsored by Dubai Holding and Dubai-based designer Mustafa Khamash of Kart Group, in collaboration with Dubai Design District. It's available for students who've already been accepted into DIDI or those who can apply until admissions are open.
Submissions for the competition can be made until July 7.
Pointers to help you win
Your game must...
>Boost the physical and mental wellbeing of future space travellers
>Encourage them to perform athletic activities
>Help them maintain their muscle capacity, bone density and cardiovascular health
>Not involve a lot of extra equipment as tools that can be taken to space would be limited
>Be well researched and perfectly designed for space conditions
Requirements
You are required to submit a PDF document that contains:
>A3 (landscape) full-page visuals in pdf format (max size 10mb)*
>A3 (landscape) images of a prototype, model (optional)
>One A4 (portrait) 500-word narrative, fictional or factual about your proposal
>You can also submit 1 Video (optional)
-The content of the A3s can be sketches, diagrams, photomontage, screenshots of an app, details of a product, however, the amount of text on these A3s should be limited. The goal is to communicate your idea through visuals,  storyboards, diagrams and not text blocks.
Deadline: July 7, 2019
Eligibility: Available for students who've already been accepted into DIDI or those who can apply until admissions are open
Send your entry to designchallenge@didi.ae (max. 10mb)
Finalists will be requested to present to the jurors on July 14, 2019
Source: http://didi.ac.ae/
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com