Here are some photos from the Shawnee Game Conference - the kids had an absolute blast! They learned a lot and heard speakers from areas across the gaming industry. Ben Orlin spoke on game design and lectured from his book series, "Games and Bad Drawings." The keynote speaker, John Zuur Platten, is a veteran of the industry who has been designing and writing for games for over 30 years. He has worked with titans of the film and game industry, from PlayStation and SEGA to Universal Studios and Marvel - he spoke to the students on the art of creativity and the immeasurable value of putting your ideas onto paper (write it down!) and how "bad" ideas ultimately lead to "good" ideas!
Our students also sat in on the Shawnee Gaming Program's Senior capstone project: Isles of Aether! They asked questions ranging from what inspired the developers to discuss the philosophies behind design decisions. They also had hands-on experience with some other projects Shawnee State student projects and projects a few indie game studios were showcasing! They offered constructive feedback and learned how much effort goes into creating the games they love to play!
We sat down with representatives from Shawnee's ESports program; the students and coaches offered valuable insights into the collegiate path of eSports. They were so excited that a local area high school had started their program and were helping others do the same! Our teams were equally thrilled to speak with older folks who share their passion for eSports! We learned about scholarships, discussed the games played at the collegiate level, and got to see trophies brought home by previous SSU athletes!
They were also pretty satisfied with all the complementary food options in the Bear's Den dining hall!
Our ESports group went to the Shawnee University Game Conference last week
November 6, 2023