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OPINION 18.11.2021 Alexiei Dingli Prof Alexiei Dingli is a Professor of AI at the University of Malta and has been conducting research and working in the field of AI for more than two decades, assisting different companies to implement AI solutions. He forms part of the Malta.AI task-force, set up by the Maltese government, aimed at making Malta one of the top AI countries in the world T owards the end of the year, Univer- sity students from different depart- ments get together to participate in a Game Jam. But what is a Game Jam? Game is a term we are familiar with since we are introduced to games when we are born. It's an activity that people play and which usually has elements of fun. Many of them give us a sense of pleasure, and we return to them repeat- edly. e word Jam is borrowed from the music industry and refers to the jam- ming sessions performed by musicians. Essentially, they meet up somewhere, improvise some music without extensive preparation and play cover versions of existent songs or even create new tunes. So a Game Jam is an activity whereby various people from different walks of life get together to create a game quick- ly. Typically these Jams are held over a couple of days, and the participants have to complete their game within 48hrs (nights included). is task may sound daunting for many, but in the end, many declare that it is probably one of the best experiences they had during their stud- ies. e reasons are various. First of all, it is an opportunity to use all the theories learnt in class and apply them to a real-world task. is applied task is critical because students learn much more by getting their hands dirty than through the traditional classroom process. Second, such an exercise will help to prepare them for life. e students that participate come from various depart- ments. ose with an Information Tech- nology background take care of most of the programming, the art students han- dle all the graphics, the musicians take care of all the sounds, and the writers bake an exciting storyline. In essence, a game is a multidisciplinary endeavour. Of course, these are just a few of the roles typically found within the group, and there might be others. When peo- ple with such diverse backgrounds get together under pressure, different traits inevitably start to emerge. Some are leaders, and others are followers. But ir- respective of these traits, what's impor- tant is that they all find a way of working together. is exercise is an important life lesson because once they find a job, they have no choice but to deal with dif- ferent characters whether they like it or not! ird, the Jam has a stringent time lim- it. It usually starts on a Friday evening and ends on a Sunday (nights included). So one can imagine the amount of pres- sure these students will have to face to deliver a finished product in time. Com- bine that with the sleepless nights, and you get an explosive mix. Hence students will be urged to first and foremost take care of their mental health, take frequent breaks and ensure that they are in a good state of mind. Fourth, throughout that weekend, they also learn essential life skills. ey have to plan their work and execute it incre- mentally; otherwise, they will not finish in time. ey have to be smart with their time, avoid reinventing the wheel, reuse what's available and only create what's necessary. It is a given that they will face many problems, yet they have to find ways to solve them. Essentially, this will get them to think and use their grey mat- ter effectively. is year will be the 10th year of the Game Jam organised at the University of Malta. e primary sponsor will be Gaming Malta, an independent foun- dation set up to turn Malta into a cen- tre of excellence for gaming. More than 80 students will participate in the com- petition, all of which trained in various disciplines. For this Gam Jam, students will use the Unity Game Engine. A gam- ing engine is a computer program with settings and configurations that optimise and simplify the development of video games across different platforms. Unity is considered by many as being the top Gaming Engine in the world, hence why we chose it! is choice also follows from another agreement that the Government of Mal- ta just signed. It allows academics from different institutions to undergo pro- fessional training on this platform and subsequently retrain students in various courses. e Game Jam will be a fascinating experience for these students that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, since it is part of their un- dergraduate degree, they will also get the best of all worlds: ey will learn the gaming theory through the course. During the tutorials, they are taught the basics of Unity and gain enough knowl- edge to pursue the official certification. e Game Jam will allow them to dirty their hands and start building their games portfolio. So once they go out in the industry and seek employment, they will have a dis- tinguished University Degree, a Unity Certification and hands-on experience! In an industry where there are 100s of high-paying jobs available, gaming the night away is the first step to secure one of them. Gaming the night away Hili Properties plc is a subsidiary of Hili Ventures Limited | Hili Properties, Nineteen Twenty Three, Valletta Road, Marsa, MRS 3000, Malta | T 00356 2568 1200 | E info@hiliproperties.com advertisement REPRESENTING A 7% DISCOUNT* ON THE €0.29 PER SHARE VALUE CASHGENERATING BUSINESS | WHOLLYOWNED, DIVERSIFIED PROPERTY PORTFOLIO | FOCUSED SOLELY ON INVESTMENT IN REAL ESTATE | 9YEAR SUCCESSFUL TRACK RECORD ACROSS EUROPE 185,185,185 New Ordinary Shares at an issue price of €0.27 per share ESTONIA | LATVIA | LITHUANIA | MALTA | ROMANIA 4% DIVIDEND PER ANNUM** hiliproperties.com For more information one should refer to the Prospectus dated 25 October 2021 ("Prospectus"), which may be downloaded from the Company's website www.hiliproperties.com. Copies of the Prospectus are also available, together with application forms, from Authorised Financial Intermediaries listed on the Company's website during o'ce hours. Applications for the Equity Issue may be made for a minimum of 4,000 shares and in multiples of 100 shares thereafter. The subscription period is between 4 November 2021 and 26 November 2021 (both days included) or earlier if fully subscribed. The shares are expected to be admitted to the O'cial List of the Malta Stock Exchange on 15 December 2021 and trading is expected to commence on 16 December 2021. *The net asset value of the Ordinary Shares of a nominal value of €0.20 as of 30 June 2021 is of €0.29. New Ordinary Shares issued at a price of €0.27 represent a reduction of €0.02 or a 7% discount on the net asset value as at 30 June 2021. The price of shares to be listed and traded on the MSE may fluctuate depending upon the liquidity of the market and not necessarily represent the Issuer's financial position. **A 4% total net dividend distribution as per the Issuer's Distribution Policy in the Prospectus is only an estimate and may not be a reliable indicator of dividend distributions based on the Company's future financial position and performance. Dividend payments may vary and are not guaranteed. This advert has been issued by Hili Properties p.l.c. ("Issuer"), a public limited liability company with registration number C 57954 and having its registered o'ce at Nineteen Twenty Three, Valletta Road, Marsa MRS 3000, Malta. A Prospectus has been issued by the Issuer for the o£er of New Ordinary Shares and an application was made for the shares to be listed on the Malta Stock Exchange ("MSE"). The Malta Financial Services Authority ("MFSA") authorised the Prospectus and the shares as eligible to listing on the MSE pursuant to the Capital Markets Rules. The approval of the Prospectus by the MFSA should not be understood as an endorsement of the New Ordinary Shares o£ered and admitted to trading on the O'cial List of the MSE. The value of the investment can go down as well as up and past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. Investing in shares of the Issuer may result in a loss of some or all of the capital invested. Prospective investors should read the Prospectus prior to making an investment decision in order to fully understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the decision to invest in Shares of the Issuer. Prospective investors are urged to consult their independent financial advisor as to the suitability of investing in Shares of the Issuer. This advert has been approved for issue by Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Limited ("CCIS") on behalf of the Issuer. CCIS acts as Sponsor to the issue. CCIS is licensed to undertake investment services in Malta by the MFSA under the Investment Services Act, Cap 386. CCIS, Ewropa Business Centre, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara BKR 9034, Malta.

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