The wood planks on the floor of a Georgia Tech research room appear normal. The pieces form a square, about 5 feet long on each side. A green screen lies on the floor in the middle.
Put on a pair of computerized goggles and that green floor becomes a “pit” that drops about three stories. Walk around the edge of the pit using the planks as your guide, provided you can keep a fear of heights in check. Grab a remote, push a few buttons and try to drop a virtual ball onto targets below.
The exercise is part of an experiment to measure a person’s mental state as they are immersed in “augmented reality” which blends the actual physical world with a virtual one created by computer programs.
This activity, designed by Georgia Tech students and professors, is just one example of how the state’s public and private colleges are building on students’ interest in gaming and the fast-growing fields of video game design and development. Students are learning skills to create games that make users laugh, scream and think.
About a dozen Georgia colleges offer classes in the different aspects of gaming. Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta started its degree program this fall. Georgia Tech is considered one of the top three colleges in the country for gaming and Savannah College of Art and Design is considered an innovator. Companies come to Atlanta to recruit graduates from these schools as well as Morehouse and Spelman colleges.
“Schools in Georgia are producing some of the best talent out there,” said Jackie Shuler, a senior manager of university relations for Electronic Arts, a leading producer of interactive entertainment software. “People are watching what’s happening there.”
The colleges focus on the many aspects that go into developing games — including art design and computer programming. Students study elements of physics to understand what happens when objects collide. They study the history of games — including card games and board games — to understand what motivates people to play games, how they work and why some are more entertaining than others.
Freshman LeValle Bradix enrolled in Southern Poly’s program because he’s always loved video and computer games. He’s surprised by all the courses needed to earn a degree.
“It’s a lot of work and it’ll take a lot of studying, but it’s worth it,” Bradix said. “I want to make something people have never seen before. I want to put my own flavor on games.”
Students’ interest in gaming courses is increasing and will likely continue, said Terry Durden, assistant vice chancellor of the office of economic development for the University System of Georgia. Columbus State University started its program in 2007 with 25 students and now has 57, according to state figures. Southern Poly’s program started with 25 students in the fall; 40 are enrolled for the spring semester.
The growth also reflects business needs. Georgia has about 60 gaming companies, which employ about 2,000 people, said Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of Georgia’s Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office.
The industry brought about $160 million to the state between 2005 and 2007 and Thompson said there is potential for more growth. As more colleges offer courses in gaming, the state can grow its own work force and keep graduates in Georgia, he said.
The average salary is about $92,300, according to the Entertainment Software Association. Other figures show programmers can earn about $80,000 a year after they’ve been in the field for about three years.
Professors and students say their work is about more than just entertainment.
Janet Murray, director of Georgia Tech’s master’s and doctoral programs in digital media, said the tools developed for computer games can affect how people work and live. Games, she said, can be used to consider philosophy, ethics and other aspects of life.
Georgia Tech professor Ian Bogost teaches students and is co-founder of Persuasive Games, which focuses on social and political issues such as airport security, flu epidemics and tort reform.
Students, he said, are looking for ways to match games with their life passions. One student is trying to meld religious activity with games, he said.
“Games are like folk music of the 1960s,” Bogost said. “They grew up with it. They identify with it. And it isn’t something really co-opted by institutions of power.”
Southern Poly junior Robin Mays, a double major in gaming and software engineering, said her goal is to produce games that will entertain and educate her 3-year-old.
“It’s not about just designing a computer game; it’s about using the game as a way to get across your message, whether it be to have fun or to expose young children to math and science,” Mays said. “The game is a way to hold someone’s attention and then you get to decide what to do with it.”
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