Monthly Archives: March 2016

News from the Virtual Minds

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This weekly news begins with the gaming industry revenue booming, gaming programs and schools has been feature for inspiring game developers, and a look on  historical gameplay perspective and  modern  game design in ancient India.

Arts and engineering students work together as Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering is on top.  [The Daily Utah Chronicle]

China leads the gaming industry revenue while The University of Utah graduates increases employment. [Forbes]

Western University’s game design program gain recognition due to their unique understanding of technology and design. [The Gazette]

Bethesda’s “Game jam day” creates interest and observation in their open world design. [Gamasutra]

Prehistoric India receives more recognition than modern India game development. [Kill Screen]

 

 

Tips for Designing a Controller

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Adina Shanholtz, is a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft, holding a custom controller, a light switching game called, "Afraid of the Dark."

Adina Shanholtz is a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft, holding a custom controller, a light switching game called, “Afraid of the Dark.”

It is Wednesday evening and Adina Shanholtz, who graduated from Oberlin College in 2015 with a double major in Computer Science and East Asian Studies, is in New York City is a sponsor at Microsoft Technology Center in Times Square. As she is presenting, Shanholtz shows me the blue and red simple-looking controller at the core of her game: a light switch panel. The inspiration for this unusual controller is children. Shanholtz’s game, “Afraid of the Dark” takes place in a child’s bedroom where the gamer can control a custom light switch controller and make monsters disappear by turning on the light for points. Continue reading …

The Musical Event of Game Design

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"Peter Panic", a full voice-over musical satire about the state of mobile games. Photo taken by Daniel Figueroa.

“Peter Panic”, a full voice-over musical satire about the state of mobile games. Photo taken by Daniel Figueroa on an iPad.

Broadway and video games might be thought of as two different worlds, and having a Broadway cast participate in your gaming sessions might sound like a crazy idea. James Marion, 24,game designer and artist based out of Brooklyn, however, has blended the distinct worlds in a mini-game musical called Peter Panic. The mini game features a full score by composers Benjamin Bonnema and Nikko Benson and actor, comedian and singer, Remy Germinario. Germinario is just one of the Broadway performers lending their voices to “Peter Panic”.

Continue reading …

Understanding Game Design: Tutorials

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From left to right: Nikita Mikros, creative director and Wen Zheng, lead programmer of the video game “The Hero Trap”, discusses the issues and design of tutorials in video games. Photo provided by Daniel Figueroa

From left to right: Nikita Mikros, creative director and Wen Zheng, lead programmer of the video game “The Hero Trap”, discusses the issues and design of tutorials in video games. Photo provided by Daniel Figueroa

On a recent Thursday evening, in a room on the eighth floor of a downtown Brooklyn office building, were several game developers. Laptops and monitors nearby, and sitting on a long white table, they were presenting their games Hunched over, five people were also playing a Tetris game and other developers’ games using Xbox one, PlayStation four controllers, as well as the original keyboard and mouse setup. Continue reading …