Press Releases
New online game lets students challenge each other, win prizes and influence the future of higher education
Futuretrack Federation, a new skill-based internet game aimed at second years, will be launched this weekend, allowing students to challenge their friends and climb to the top of the game’s online rankings. Players who get involved will also have the opportunity to be entered into a prize draw giving them a chance to win big prizes including an iPod Touch, a Nintendo Wii or high street vouchers.
Players are invited to join the ‘Futuretrack Federation’, a spaceship of students journeying into the unknown. Set across twelve stages, the game requires players to calculate the speed and trajectory the ship must take to reach its destination. Launching the ship with the correct amount of thrust and using the planets' gravitational pull, players must dart between the celestial bodies, avoiding the satellites and collecting the bonus points along the way.
Futuretrack Federation is designed to encourage a healthy rivalry between students. Participants can play alone to improve their skills or select their university to view how their high score ranks with their peers. The best players can even fight for a place in the all time top ten. On top of this, any second year student who emails the game to a friend will be automatically entered into the prize draw.
By playing the game and sharing it with their friends, second year students will also be given the opportunity to get involved in Futuretrack, a groundbreaking study following university students over five years to understand what influences their education and career choices. Students who sign-up will be asked to complete an online questionnaire that will provide important data to help influence the future decisions of policymakers, universities, employers and those applying for HE places. They will also be entered into a separate prize draw, where they will stand a chance of winning part of a £40,000 cash prize.
The game is released to support Futuretrack and encourage students to get involved. The study is funded by the educational charity HECSU (Higher Education Careers Services Unit) and managed by the Institute of Employment Research (IER) at the University of Warwick. It tracks a group of 2006 UCAS applicants at four points through their higher education and into their careers. The research explores the way students think and plan for their careers after university and provides a detailed picture of how education and employment decisions are made enabling the government, careers advisers and staff in Higher Education to make more informed decisions for the benefit of future students.
Futuretrack Web Manager Dafydd Singleton said:
"Futuretrack is all about the students and their participation is central to the success of this highly ambitious project. This game is a great opportunity for them to have fun and challenge each other but also a chance for them to get involved with Futuretrack. Last year 130,000 students participated and we are hoping that with this game, even more will want to sign up this year. It is a really exciting venture for us and one which will make a real difference to future university students, so we hope that lots of students will get involved.”
Students who would like to play the game and gain the chance to win prizes should visit: www.futuretrack.ac.uk/stargame
The Futuretrack questionnaire is open to everyone who applied to go to university in 2006 and will remain open until 31st December 2007. Students who join will be entered into a separate prize draw with £40,000 in prizes. Anyone wishing to get involved should visit: http://www.futuretrack.ac.uk/public/studentgetinvolved.php
For more information, please contact:
Graham Smith
Twelve Consultancy
T: +44 (0)020 7631 0737
E: graham@twelvepr.co.uk
E: lynsey@twelvepr.co.uk
