Under the support of the Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Sprout Project, a team of seven students from Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST), led by Chair Jing-Yi Cheng of the Department of Information and Communications and Prof. Zhi-Jie Hsu of the Department of Popular Music Industry, executed an iPBL (international Problem-Based Learning) interdisciplinary project. The core of this initiative was to combine international exchange and promote a transnational team model, with the project outcomes being entered into an international challenge competition. On August 17, 2025, the faculty and student team traveled to Singapore to participate in the International Game Concept Challenge 2025, hosted by Nanyang Polytechnic. This year the competition attracted 60 students from seven countries—Thailand, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Korea, and France—representing eight universities. Students were randomly grouped into ten mixed-nationality teams, and over the two-week competition, they were required to fully execute a project from forming game concept to final product.

【STUST faculty and students were taking a photo with Albert Lim, Director of the School of Design and Media at Nanyang Polytechnic, witnessing the results of the cross-national exchange between Taiwan and Singapore.】

Ultimately, STUST students Yu-Xun Xiao and Qiao-Ting Lai, both seniors of the Department of Multimedia and Computer Entertainment Science, won Silver and Bronze awards, respectively, achieving outstanding results. The competition process not only tested professional skills but also highlighted the soft skills necessary for cross-national collaboration. Students had to communicate entirely in English and overcome the challenges of unfamiliar languages, cultural differences, and time pressure, demonstrating exceptional problem-solving abilities and team spirit—the most valuable aspects of the competition.

【Yu-Xun Xiao (third from left), the Silver award winner, was taking a photo with the team at the awards ceremony.】

Silver award winner Yu-Xun Xiao shared that the most memorable part of the competition was that the team had no fixed leader; instead, every member offered ideas in their area of expertise, which were eventually integrated into an excellent final product. Bronze award winner Chiao-Ting Lai stated that collaborating with students from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds in Singapore was an extremely valuable international exchange experience, and she encouraged her juniors to be brave and seize the opportunity to participate in 2026 competition in Nagoya, Japan.

【Chiao-Ting Lai (fourth from left), the Bronze award winner, was taking a photo with the team at the awards ceremony.】

【The mixed-nationality teams, composed of students from seven countries, was demonstrating the energy of international exchange and teamwork from idea forming to implementation over two weeks.】

Albert Lim, Director of the School of Design and Media at Nanyang Polytechnic, pointed out that in addition to solid professional hard skills, the gaming industry requires cross-cultural soft skills. He emphasized that the most valuable aspect of this competition was how students from different countries exchanged ideas and sparked diverse creativity through collaboration.

【Albert Lim, Director of the School of Design and Media at Nanyang Polytechnic, was offering encouragement to the participants at the closing ceremony.】

Dean Bing-Jang Chen of the College of Digital Design at STUST stated that these achievements not only showcase the students' innovative energy but also highlight the school's long-term efforts in cultivating talent with an international perspective and cross-cultural competence. He noted that the IGCC 2025 learning model combines “Problem-Based” and “Project-Based” approaches. Students were required to rapidly conceptualize a solution to a challenge set by the organizer and complete a game concept design in project form within a short period. This process simultaneously strengthened their problem-solving, cross-cultural collaboration, and presentation skills. He further added that since 2023, Nanyang Polytechnic has been sending students from its School of Design and Media to STUST annually for internships and USR projects. This year, the two institutions will further deepen their cooperation to promote more cross-national exchanges and practical projects.

【Participating students were focused and engaged in the competition process, embodying the precious experience of cross-cultural cooperation.】

Facing the global competition in the gaming and creative industries, STUST will continue to transform the practical experience gained from the competition into international cooperation capabilities and influence, expanding faculty and student exchanges, overseas internships, and USR engagement. This will ensure that “transnational, cross-cultural, and cross-lingual” skills become the core competitiveness for the new generation of talent.

【A Group photo of all participants at IGCC 2025】