Digital Entertainment Technology

We’ve got a new team added!
So as it stands, we have three working titles coming out of ACU’s chapter of GGJ 2013:

Team 1: Post Apocalyptic 3D Puzzle game

Team 2: Fontastic

Team 3: Side Scrolling Alien Spoof

Each team has started a project file on the GGJ site and is working on making a site for the respective games. We have artists with their tablets, 3D modelers comparing their poly-counts, programmers checking each others code, and a writer running around from team to team taking pictures.

Also, we’re out of cookies.

Day 2 of Global Game Jam is well underway!

The two teams have been diligently working all morning and seem to be making great progress. We’ve already had a visit from an interviewer from The Optimist (ACU Newspaper) and have once more obliterated several boxes of pizza. (Thanks again, Corona Labs!)

The theme for Global Game Jam 2013 was revealed in an mp3 clip of  heartbeat. We’re anxious to see how both teams incorporate the theme into their respective games.

Here’s the official schedule for this weekend’s events:

Friday:
Keynote and Theme announcement: 5PM   (11 minute Keynote, then the reveal of the theme)
Pizza: 6PM
Building closes at 12:00AM (you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay in the building).

Saturday:
Building opens at 8AM
Optimist Interview/Videographer arrives at 10AM
Lunch: 11:30
Teams must create a placeholder webpage by 3PM
Pizza: 6PM
Building closes at 12AM

Sunday:
Building opens at Noon
Show and tell what you created: 2PM
Upload project to GGJ site by 3PM
As it stands, we’ve effectively demolished the pizza and the two teams are diligently working on their respective projects. We have two different games in development:

Team 1: Post-Apocalyptic 3D puzzle game

Team 2: Typography app/game

So far, the progress for both looks promising. We have a long two days ahead of us, but hey, it’s two days of creating video games! That’s pretty awesome.

Day one of Global Game Jam has officially begun.

We have a theme, we have some teams beginning to form, and we have cookies.

I’ll be live-blogging the event for the rest of the weekend to bring you updates on the event as it progresses. Thanks again to Corona Labs for sponsoring us in this year’s GGJ!

ACU and the DET department will be hosting teams for the GGJ 2013!

The excitement begins Friday, January 25 at 5PM for the keynote and revealing of the theme.

Then the selection of teams and fun of game development begins, to conclude at 3PM on Sunday, January 27.

Corona Labs has graciously agreed to supply pizza, soda, snacks, and SWAG during the event, so that you can focus on making great games!

We are limiting our teams to ACU students.  We will work out of the Mabee Business Building (primarily on the 2nd & 3rd floor, centered around the 214 lab).  You can register for the event at http://globalgamejam.org/sites/2013/abilene-christian-university

When I was first starting out with Photoshop, I spent a lot of time trying to figure things out for myself. That’s all well and good, but because the learning curve is so large, it helps to have some resources to turn to. So, after a few years of creating my own textures and images using Photoshop, I’ve amassed quite a few quality tutorials that I’ll share.

If you’re wanting some interesting text effects, check out:  http://www.webdesignbooth.com/40-really-useful-photoshop-text-effect-tutorials/

Or, if you’re wanting some photo realistic textures: http://beeex.net/photoshop/tutorials-photoshop/77-essential-photoshop-techniques-for-photo-realistic-textures

My personal favorite for all of the above is: http://planetphotoshop.com/category/tutorials . Most of these are high quality video tutorials explaining in detail everything to need to know and guide you through the process.

I hope these help. I’ll be posting more of my resources on different mediums here in the next few weeks. Feel free to comment if you have a request.

Watch our new Intro to Mobile App Development Course Promo Video.

This spring we’ll be having an online Introduction to Mobile App Development Course.  The course is designed for current college students and advanced high school students  who wish to develop mobile applications.  Students will learn basic mobile development concepts that apply to multiple platforms.  The course includes a final project where the students are challenged to create a small application of their choice.

ACU students will be enrolling in the upcoming weeks, and applications for Dual-Credit students will be accepted on a space available basis until January 13th.

For more information, contact us at: SITC@acu.edu

Beginning Fall of 2012, the DET program now has multiple licenses of ToonBoom’s Harmony animation software in the DET Lab.  Harmony is used in many of the top-rated, award nominated (and winning) cartoons and animations in both TV and film.

If you are itching to make the next great cartoon or animation, stop by and check it out!

Now that our degree has experienced some significant growth (with new DET majors and minors being declared each week), we’ve finally got the manpower to get the DET Club going again!

Our first meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 31st at 4:00 pm in COBA (MMB) room 201. If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about video game development, film production, animation, or any other form of digital entertainment or digital media, be sure to come to the interest meeting.

We’re particularly lucky to be joined by guest speaker Dan Selec, Founder/CEO of nonPareil Institute who will share his insights and experience in game development.

And hey, considering that our first meeting will be held on Halloween, why not come in costume? (The possibility exists that I may come bearing candy.)

We hope to see you there! If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to contact either Dr. Burton or myself –

Dr. Brian Burton: bgb07a@acu.edu
Ashley Dillin: and07a@acu.edu

If you haven’t been following the DET program and mobile app development courses at ACU, you might not be aware of how frequently our students and faculty are feature in the news.
Recently Dr. Burton was featured on the Corona Labs website, makers of the popular Corona SDK for mobile app and game development. You can see the full interview here:
http://www.coronalabs.com/blog/2012/04/19/qa-with-dr-brian-g-burton-corona-ambassador/