GameCon 2012 presents to an animated crowd

Gamers united at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) GameCon 2012, presented by the Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT).

The Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre was filled with hundreds of gaming enthusiasts as FBIT students from all four years of the Game Development and Entrepreneurship program showcased their video games created in the Game Development Workshop (GDW). Games featured titles like Ninja Pirates vs. Zombies, Werebear and Pandasaurus. GameCon visitors were invited to check out the student art and test drive the games.

“Over a four-month period, we built this game completely from scratch, right from the ground up,” said Mike Antonakes, a second-year student and one of the artists of Pandasaurus. “Pandasaurus challenges players to control a half-panda, half-dinosaur. The hands-on experience from this has been great and we’ve taken a lot from it – knowledge that we’ll be able to apply in the years ahead in the workplace.”

Game Development students, in second- and third-year, also made formal presentations regarding their games and art work to faculty members present. All of which counted towards their final grade.

“All of these games were extremely well done and clearly demonstrated the keen knowledge and creativity of our students,” said Dr. Andrew Hogue, assistant professor and Gaming co-ordinator. “These students represent the future of gaming. The growth of GameCon has been incredible, and as it continues to evolve, we believe this will become a key annual event at UOIT.”

Dr. Hogue is also project leader of Interactive Gaming Ontario 3D (iGO3D), a collaborative effort that brings together the expertise of five universities, one college and a wide range of gaming industry partners whose mission is to drive the growth of the province’s digital media content industry. UOIT is iGO3D’s primary partner.

One of the first-year student projects was especially heartwarming. WordMania was originally the dream of an Oshawa woman, Doreen Popowich, who created the concept and the rules of the spelling game back in the 1980s. WordMania combines elements of Solitaire and Scrabble. Doreen envisioned her game would become a teaching and learning tool for primary and intermediate students. Sadly, Doreen passed away before she was able to find a company to develop it. Last fall, a family friend encouraged her husband Chris Popowich to offer the game materials to the GDW. Successfully completed by FBIT students, WordMania was unveiled at GameCon 2012 and Chris Popowich was in attendance to see his late wife’s dream realized.

GameCon 2012 award winners

Players’ Choice:

• First year: Ninja vs. Pirates vs. Zombies;
• Second year: Pandasaurus;
• Third year: Pivotal;
• Fourth year: Sort ‘Em Up.

Professors’ Choice:

• First year: WordMania;
• Second year: Werebear;
• Third year: Pivotal; and
• Fourth year: Blockheads.

Best of Show (Big Mario Trophy):

• Werebear.