A Preston student is the best coder in the country.

Kyle Hobdey beat more than 400 coding students in the Search For A Star 2017 Code award.

The 23-year-old put together his Star Wrangler Arena game in four weeks.

Players control a little ship with its own magnetosphere to direct falling stars into their goal.

The computer games development student from the University of Central Lancashire said: “I am overwhelmed by winning. I didn’t think I’d done well enough in the interview to have come first. To go from entering the competition just to gain experience to then winning it is just amazing.

“I surprised myself with this achievement and it will certainly be a memory that will stick with me forever.”

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Competitors had to complete an online coding test, took part in a networking event and were interviewed by give industry-leading judges.

Kyle’s prize for winning includes a job interview and internship at one of the UK’s leading games design studios.

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Course leader in computer games development Dr Gareth Bellaby said: “I’m absolutely delighted for Kyle, this is a fantastic award to win and he deserves all the recognition he’ll get for his outstanding work. What is very gratifying for me is the fact that three out of the 10 finalists were UCLan students.

“That is a great accolade for the course and shows the quality of work the students are producing. The organisers commented that the quality of the finalists this year was very strong so the achievements of Kyle, James and Neil are outstanding.”