DePaul University computer game development students will compete in a 30-hour game creation competition, DePaul Game Jam 2008, to be judged by industry and media professionals, including representatives of Raw Thrills, Midway Games, High Voltage Software and Microsoft.

Media are invited to attend the final two hours of the competition, beginning at 3 p.m. April 13 at DePaul’s Loop Campus, 243 S. Wabash Ave., 1st Floor Lab. Final presentations and judging will begin at 6 p.m.

DePaul’s computer games development major is one of the most rapidly-growing fields of study at the university, up 15 percent this year. To celebrate, the program is hosting the DePaul Game Jam 2008 competition. Six student teams and one faculty team will have 30 hours to create, design and program a video game based on a theme provided by the judges. The finished games will be judged based on visual design, creativity, functionality and quality of game play. Winners will receive an mp.3 player.

The event is funded in part by a Microsoft XNA Innovation grant, and the participants will be using XNA Game Development Studio software, the latest version of which has established a game-publishing pipeline for the Xbox 360 and the Zune media player. Midway Games is also a co-sponsor of the event.

DePaul’s game development program recently landed one of the top professionals in the industry to serve as its first Game Designer-in-Residence. Eugene Jarvis, Founder and CEO of Raw Thrills, Inc., and the creator of classic video arcade games such as Defender and Robotron, was appointed to the position in January.

Media wishing to attend the event should contact Shawn Malayter, DePaul Media Relations, at 312-420-9648.