TFS’s Creative Success Bursary Awarded to Video Game Development Student Geoffrey Polmateer

Geoffrey Polmateer has been announced as the latest winner of Toronto Film School’s recently launched Creative Success Award.

The Mississauga-based Video Game Design & Development student, 27, said that learning of his selection as this term’s recipient of the quarterly $2,500 bursary was an “incredible moment” for him.

“Winning this award means so much to me…I’ve loved playing video games since I was a kid,” he said, noting that his aim in enrolling at TFS is to emerge with the development skills necessary to build games for a living.

“My goal coming out of this program is to find myself in a position where I can spend my days doing work that I am truly passionate about and feel like I can help inspire people the same way that I was growing up, playing games that shaped who I am – Spyro, Pokemon, and Legend of Zelda.”

Dedicated to the memory of 2019 Video Game Design & Development program grad Kurt Huhn, the Creative Success Award is awarded not on academic merit, but rather to first-term gaming students who demonstrate those attributes most admired in Kurt – namely, his passion, potential and creativity.

“On behalf of my family, we are pleased at Geoffrey’s selection as this term’s Creative Success Award winner at TFS,” said Kurt’s father, Kevin Huhn, himself a Film Production grad who now serves as TFS’s Manger of Student Engagement & Community.

“My son Kurt, a 2019 TFS Grad, was known for his quality and leadership. It is a privilege to know that Geoffrey is following in his footsteps in the Video Game program. We hope his time at TFS helps him as much as it helped Kurt.”

The major requirement for the Creative Success Award application is a creative game proposal. Polmateer’s pitch was for a game he said he’d been chipping away on for years, slowly writing the world he wanted the game to take place in.

The end result was the idea for A Clash of Countries – a tactical game inspired in equal measures by the rich storytelling of George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, and the strategic complexity of the Fire Emblem game franchise.

“The two pillars of storytelling and tactical gameplay have shaped my appreciation for immersive narratives and engrossing gameplay,” Polmateer said. “The dream of merging these influences into a single, captivating game has almost entirely fueled my passion for game design.”

Set in a world of political distress between crown and country, Polmateer said A Clash of Countries is his “ideal fusion of intricate narrative storytelling and turned-based combat.” The proposed game follows the separate tales of countless soldiers, healers, rogues, and royals, all coming together to find a solution to a Monarchy throwing itself into darkness.

“Traveling through the world around you, interacting and learning more about what has caused so much turmoil – from farmlands to polar caps – you and your band of survivors fight for freedom and any aspect of a better life than what has been handed to you,” Polmateer said of the game.

As a member of the award’s selection committee, Jean-Paul Amore, director of TFS’s Video Game Design & Development program, said he was impressed by the rich, immersive narrative of Polmateer’s game proposal

“A Clash of Countries is a unique and compelling blend of intricate storytelling and strategic gameplay,” said Amore, who shared selection committee duties with Rob Elsworthy, director of the Video Game Design & Animation program.

“Geoffrey’s dedication to character development, strategic diversity, and dynamic storytelling was evident throughout the outline, showcasing a clear vision and passion for game design.”

Polmateer said that, more than the bursary attached to the Creative Success Award, the real prize is having his work recognized.

“Having this award is an incredible moment for me in having people see my idea (for A Clash of Countries) and believe in it, which is one of the most powerful feelings I can imagine,” he said.

Applications for this term’s Creative Success Award are now open! Video Game Design & Animation and Video Game Design & Development students who are in their first term are encouraged to apply today at https://mytfs.ca/my-tfs-on-campus/creative-success-award/#