Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) Software Community, Digital Game Design Community, and Google Developer Student Clubs (DSC) jointly organized the “HKU Game & Web Innovation Marathon 2024,” which brought together a large number of participants over the weekend. The uninterrupted 48-hour marathon gathered 100 software developers. The event kicked off with a panel exclusively for participants on Friday at 11:00 and continued in the form of an uninterrupted 48-hour marathon with the participation of 20 teams, concluding with the announcement of results on Sunday at 17:00.
Merging Two Different Topics, Two Different Fields in One Marathon
The event, which was organized by combining two different fields, had the theme of “Puzzle” for the game aspect, while the web theme was set as “Educational Technologies.” At the beginning of the event, expert panelists in their fields, including Computer Engineer Mehmet Kadir Kalkan, Founder of Trunçgil Technology and Web Development Expert Ümit Tunç, Founder and CEO of Rotatelab Abdurrahman Koçak, Assistant Professor Dr. Batu Duru, Head of the Department of Digital Game Design at the Faculty of Communication, Director of the OSB Technopark Ekrem Tekin, and Industrial Engineer Ahmet Şahin from Varil Çorba Restaurants, shared important information related to their expertise, inspiring participants to improve their technical skills and work on innovative projects.
At the end of the 48-hour marathon, in the Game Jam section where games related to the “Puzzle” theme were developed, the “Kamplumb Agalar” group ranked 1st with their game where an Alzheimer’s patient learns information about their personality by solving different puzzles; the “Rivendell” group ranked 2nd with their game where people try to escape from a spaceship by solving puzzles and advancing levels, and the “Paradox” group ranked 3rd with their game where the character Öktem travels through various worlds via portals and discovers new worlds. In the Web Hackathon section where projects related to the “Educational Technologies” theme were presented, the “Code Commanders” group ranked 1st with their project aiming to provide users with personal libraries for learning, supported by practical tools such as simulations, experiments, and code learning; the “Code200” group ranked 2nd with their project aiming to bridge university communities with students and prospective students, and the “Error404” group ranked 3rd by providing educational content about hackathons, game jams, and similar competitions to users.
We are determined to lead in software development, technology, and innovation fields.
At the award ceremony of the event, Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, the Rector of HKU, emphasized the contribution of such marathons to the software development ecosystem in Turkey, stating: “At HKU, we are committed to leading in software development, technology, and innovation fields. With events like this, we aim to support young programmers and designers and help them enhance their skills. We believe that the ideas, projects, games, and software that emerge from here will shape the future of relevant industries and make positive contributions to society. This marathon not only provides a competitive arena but also offers a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and industry networking. The efforts shown by each of you are a great source of inspiration for us. We thank our students, professors, OSB Technopark, student communities, mentors, jury members, stakeholders, sponsors, and all participants for their support.
