TCNJ News
For Immediate Release
November 10, 2009
All games and no sleep make TCNJ students win big
EWING, NJ …
Imagine developing and designing the programming, art, and sound for a video game in just two days. It sounds crazy. It sounds impossible.
But it can be done – and done well – as proved by three teams consisting of current and former students from The College of New Jersey competed at the Philly Game Jam, a 48-hour game development contest held last month.
The three teams, TCNJ Red, TCNJ Blue, and TCNJ Yellow, were comprised of 24 members including four TCNJ alumni and eighteen current TCNJ students, and competed against ten other professional, student, and amateur teams. TCNJ Yellow was awarded one of two major awards and a prize package valued at about $9,000.
The Philly Game Jam began at noon on October 23 amidst the GameX Industry Summit in Phoenixville, PA. Ten teams were each challenged with designing and developing an original computer game in only 48 hours. Prizes were awarded for "Most Innovative Game" and "Best Adherence to Contest Theme," the latter of which was awarded to TCNJ Yellow's game.
Senior computer science major Brian Bagdzinski, as well as alumni Mike Testen ‘09, Jeff Rupert ‘09, and Samantha McLaughlin ‘09 were part of the winning team. Their game, “Yellow,” was based on the contest’s theme of a quote by the author James Michener: "An age is called 'dark,' not because the light fails to shine but because people refuse to see it."
In the game they designed, the player controlled a glowing source of light. The screen was covered in bare tree roots and branches, and by moving along the trees, the player was able to cause them to sprout leaves and flowers. The player needed to collect red, yellow, and green light in order to grow all of the plant-life in the level, and there were obstacles that would steal color from the player.
When starting the game, the landscape and plants all look cold, bare, and dead. But the player's actions bring life, color, and vibrancy into the scenery. The experience of playing the game is reminiscent of both gardening and painting.
The 2009 Philly Game Jam was just one part of the GameX Industry Summit, which was organized by International Game Developers Association. The summit brought professionals from the industry at both ends of the East Coast to Philadelphia for two days of lectures, round-tables, and keynotes. Attendees also had the chance to play the games developed during the Game Jam, and TCNJ's students had the opportunity to develop connections with local potential employers and increase the college's profile in the game development community.
“Participating in the Philly Game Jam was a great experience,” said Vin St. John, senior computer science major. “The experience was about cooperating with a diverse team, working to accomplish goals on a deadline and with limited resources. That requires communication, collaboration, and a willingness to learn.”
Other TCNJ students who competed at the Philly Game Jam include seniors Anna Redding, Matt DiMatteo, Bryan Mayer, Walter Crestfield, Richard DeFrancisco, Anthony Vasta, Crystal Kan; juniors Chris Hallberg, Javas Shankar; sophomores Justin Dilks, Emily Calfo, Andrew Lohmann, Nate Chmielinski, Richard Gebbia; freshmen Mike Murphy, Aaryn Trader; and alum Scott Kieffer ‘09.
For further information, contact Vincent St. John at VinStJohn@gmail.com , and visit the event's official web site at www.phillygamejam.com . For press photos of the group's trip, visit the team's online photo album at http://bit.ly/TCNJPhillyGameJam .
