RIT teams hold fundraiser to see their games compete for popular prize at GDC
Student work featured at showcase celebrating unconventional games and custom controllers
RIT new media students hope to share their work with thousands of developers, designers, and industry professionals from around the world at GDC.
For the past 11 years, the alt.ctrl.GDC exhibit at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) Festival of Gaming has surprised and delighted visitors, quickly becoming one of the most popular stops on the convention floor. As the exhibit has grown, so has the competition to develop unique controllers and gameplay experiences that demonstrate how physical interaction, tactile engagement, and playful scale can transform how games are played. After a competitive selection process, this year's field has been narrowed to only 20 teams, and 3 of those teams are from RIT.
The teams are part of this year’s New Media Interactive Design Capstone cohort. Each year, students from the new media interactive development degree in RIT’s Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, and new media design degree in RIT’s College of Art and Design, collaborate on capstone projects that push the boundaries of interactive experience.
The projects selected for GDC’s alternative controller exhibit are:
- Floss Boss: take a step inside the mouth of a fish friend in Floss Boss, where you race to score points by cleaning as much as you can before time runs out. You utilize a comically sized toothbrush and flosser, with custom controllers and sensors, to clean a mouth that's bigger than you!
- Patchwork is an exciting collaborative exhibit where you and your friends bring your very own monster to life! Move quickly to wire up machines and finish high stakes tasks around the lab before it all goes sideways. This exhibit uses dozens of incredible controllers and sensors to completely envelop you in the experience.
- In Don't Run With Scissors, you take a step inside of comically large scissors... and do just that! 🤨 Race the clock to slice through dozens of every day objects, rack up points, and leave a trail of destruction behind you. This hands on controller brings a memorable experience to this exhibit that you'll want to make sure you try this semester!
Nearly 30 students in total helped bring these projects to life. In an effort to send all team members to GDC, the cohort is launching a fundraiser to help with travel costs. Having a large presence at this event will help solidify RIT’s position as a top university for the creative intersection of tech and design, showcasing innovative work on a global stage. While RIT is able to fund trips to the conference for a number of students, the teams are asking faculty, students, staff and alumni to consider contributing to this effort so that all student team members can share in the experience.
You can donate to specific areas of the Level Up campaign below to help support RIT Tigers at GDC!
