Nicholas Buonarota

Visiting Lecturer

School of Interactive Games and Media

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

nabigm@rit.edu

Office Location

GOL-2571

Nicholas Buonarota

Visiting Lecturer

School of Interactive Games and Media

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

Bio

Nicholas A. Buonarota is a Visiting Lecturer in the Interactive Games and Media Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He holds both a B.S. (2013) and M.S. (2015) in Game Design and Development from RIT. His professional background includes roles in software engineering and creative technology leadership, including five years at IBM developing APIs for supercomputers, and later serving as Director of Research and Development at Promptin’ Circumstance, where he led innovation in teleprompting hardware and software. From 2022 to 2024, he applied his leadership and community-building skills as Head of Community Development at Crossfit Ignite, a small-town gym in his home town. Alongside his industry work, he has been teaching game development and new media courses at the college level since 2021. Currently at RIT, he teaches a range of courses from introductory programming and web development to advanced electives in physical computing and alternative controllers. Outside of work, he enjoys going to the gym, working on home projects, and sharing meals with close friends and family.

nabigm@rit.edu

Personal Links

Personal Website

Currently Teaching

IGME-119

2D Animation and Asset Production

3 Credits

This course provides a theoretical framework covering the principles of animation and its use in game design to affect user experience. Emphasis will be placed upon principles that support character development and animations that show cause and effect. Students will apply these principles to create animations that reflect movement and character appropriate for different uses and environments.

IGME-201

New Media Interactive Design and Algorithmic Problem Solving III

3 Credits

This is the third course in the software development sequence for new media interactive development students. Students further their exploration of problem solving and abstraction through coverage of topics such as GUI development, events, file I/O, networking, threading, and other advanced topics related to the design and development of modern dynamic applications. Programming assignments are an integral part of the course.

IGME-220

Game Design & Development I

3 Credits

This course examines the core process of game design, from ideation and structured brainstorming in an entertainment technology context through the examination of industry standard processes and techniques for documenting and managing the design process. This course specifically examines techniques for assessing and quantifying the validity of a given design, for managing innovation and creativity in a game development-specific context, and for world and character design. Specific emphasis is placed on both the examination and deconstruction of historical successes and failures, along with presentation of ethical and cultural issues related to the design and development of interactive software and the role of individuals in a team-oriented design methodology. Students in this class are expected to actively participate and engage in the culture of design and critique as it relates to the field.

IGME-235

Introduction to Web Technology for Game Developers

3 Credits

This course introduces web technologies commonly used in the production and distribution of both content focused web sites, and in the creation of interactive applications and games. Students will create web sites and web-native interactive experiences, and publish them to the web. Programming projects are required.

IGME-236

Experience Design for Games & Media

3 Credits

This course examines the concepts of interface and interaction models in a media-specific context, with particular emphasis on the concept of the immersive interface. This course explores concepts such as perception, expectation, Gestalt Theory, interactivity, Semiotics, presence, and immersion in the context of media application development and deployment. In addition, underlying concepts of cognitive psychology and cognitive science will be integrated where appropriate. These theories are then integrated in the exploration of the immersive interface, and with related concepts such as user-level-interface modification, augmentation of identity, and the interface as a social catalyst.

IGME-470

Physical Computing & Alternative Interfaces

3 Credits

The rich variety and widespread adoption of gestural touch screens, motion-sensing devices, weight-reactive surfaces, wearable digital devices, and similar interface products demonstrates the demand for well-integrated devices and services that seamlessly couple people and environments. Such products can interface computers with real-world inputs and outputs, and give people new ways of controlling and experiencing their devices and information. This course provides a rapid technical introduction to basic electronics (components, circuits, microcontrollers, etc.) and emphasizes the application of interface design concepts to physically interactive and innovative product development. The course requires solo and team projects that blend electronics, programming, and design.