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DePaul students in finals of video game contestPEORIA, Feb 16, 2010 (Journal Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- When college students from across the country gather to compete in San Francisco next month, all eyes will be glued to the screen. But instead of basketball, this form of March madness involves video games. Illinois will be represented at the 2010 Independent Games Festival by a contingent from DePaul University whose entry, "Devil's Tuning Fork" is one of 10 finalists among the 190 entries received from around the world. The 3-D game is based on the sound signals used for navigation by dolphins and bats. DePaul's entry was created by 15 students in the school's computer game development program. DePaul has 205 undergraduates and 25 graduates enrolled in its game program, a growing curriculum at a number of U.S. colleges, including Bradley University, where students also work on computer game development. The DePaul team formed last summer to come up with a game for the competition, said project leader Jay Pecho, a second-year graduate student from Alta. "We spent two weeks just pitching ideas before coming up with two prototypes," he said. The group settled on "Tuning Fork" because of the distinct nature of the game, said Pecho. "You see the world through sound. A player can create sounds," he said. The DePaul effort relies on teamwork, said Pecho. "Everyone has a role. We have artists, programmers and designers all working together," he said. The game was initially inspired by M.C. Escher's classic optical illusion, said Tony Perkins, a senior from Orland Park who served as one of the lead designers on the project. The contest may be the start of a career, he said. "As a film major, I was looking to do animation work. Now I'm leaning more towards (developing) computer games," he said. The selection of a grand prize winner will be announced at the competition on March 11. Steve Tarter can be reached at 686-3260 or [email protected]. To see more of the Journal Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pjstar.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |