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Programmed to play
(August 6, 2006) NASHUA - Some odd
combinations of sounds emanated from the classrooms of Daniel
Webster College earlier this summer. Beeps, blips, bops and happily
chiming music wafted down the halls of the college's Eaton-Richmond
Center, sounds occasionally interrupted by the crackle of gunfire,
the blare of rock music and the thumps of virtual zombies dropping
to the ground.
This odd combination was the byproduct of the RoboTech Center's
video-game design camp, four week-long intensive training camps that
expose students, ranging from grade school to high school, to the
fine art of programming, designing and publishing video games from
scratch.
Students learned the ins and outs of conceptualizing, designing
and putting their newly created games on the computer screen for all
to see - and hear.
In conjunction with Digital Brix Studios, the RoboTech Center of
Nashua, led by directors Nanu and Naveena Swamy, taught students to
create two- and three-dimensional games, casual games for the Web,
games for cell phones and more.
Further, thanks to the extensive hardware and software assets of
Digital Brix, students also had the opportunity to explore
professional 3D modeling and animation techniques for games.
"It really is a wonderful way to allow students to see up close and
personal the skills needed to create video gaming," Nanu Swamy said.
"Each student gets direct hands-on experience."
He added the program is ideal for high school students who are
either embarking on or considering a career in the video-game-design
industry.
"It also doesn't hurt that high school students also earn two
college credits and are eligible for several thousand dollars in
tuition reimbursement," Nanu added with a smile.
That bonus, along with DWC's addition of a gaming, simulation and
robotics major - the only program of its kind in New Hampshire - to
its undergraduate catalog in the fall "made bringing the camps to
the college campus a natural," Nanu Swamy said.
Computer sciences division Chairman Dr. Thomas Goulding sees the
relationship between RoboTech's camps and the progressive thinking
of the DWC curriculum as a perfect partnership.
"There's been a great change over the last 10 years in that most
companies' products are being designed and developed with the kind
of software that goes into gaming systems," he said. "So what these
students are using is going to be a regular part of American
industry."
The RoboTech camps use a two-pronged approach: focusing on artistic
development as well as engineering development - an approach not
lost on Goulding.
One reason DWC moved toward offering the gaming, simulation and
robotics major is that graduates can use the gaming program tools or
write the actual software. Goulding adds that DWC is poised to
position itself as an academic leader in the industry, as the
college is at the forefront in developing the gaming, simulation and
robotics curriculum.
"There are few schools that have invested in this kind of study,"
Goulding said. "The program has a goal of becoming an East Coast
center of technology in this discipline, similar to programs one
would find at Carnegie Mellon University or the University of
Southern California.
"That's why we've worked so hard to establish good corporate
relationships with companies like RoboTech that share our vision."
According to the Swamys, the RoboTech Center has been leading the
way in creating and delivering innovative, self-engaging programs
for young people since 2001 - programs that are being adopted by
organizations worldwide.
Some of its most notable achievements include:
- Being the first to deliver two- and three-dimensional
game-design programs in New England.
- The first to introduce Lego robotics to children 12 and
younger using its own custom software.
- And the first to introduce artificial-intelligence robots to
youngsters.
The RoboTech Center is also certified by the state as a licensed
provider of postsecondary education.
Daniel Webster College provides undergraduate and graduate programs
to traditional and nontraditional students from its Nashua and
Portsmouth campuses in a wide breadth of professional areas,
including aeronautic and mechanical engineering, aviation, computer
science, business and management, and social science. For more
information about Daniel Webster's programs, visit www.dwc.edu.
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