Game Design, Development, and Arts News

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 15: Esports are surging in popularity, and RIT’s collegiate esports teams are making an impact in the growing field. With multiple championships and national rankings under their belt, the Esports program is looking to take things to the next level. Evan Hirsh, president of RIT Esports, talks with the team’s adviser, Chad Weeden, about the rise of competitive video gaming and the university’s teams.

The Ellsworth American features Adam Fisher '10 (imaging arts - computer animation), a former animator at Laika Studios.

John Dodd, an instructor in RIT’s College of Art and Design for more than 40 years, is the sixth recipient of the Edline M. Chun Award for Outstanding Teaching and Service. The award, named in honor of the late RIT adjunct professor Edline Chun, has been given annually since 2014 to a faculty member who exemplifies excellence and dedication in teaching to an affiliated school in the College of Art and Design.

A team of Hearthstone players represented RIT and joined 20 other top colleges at the first-ever ESPN Collegiate Esports Championship. RIT became one of the top four teams in the country and the three RIT student players received $7,500 in tuition scholarships.

A team of RIT students has become one of the best collegiate Hearthstone teams in the nation, making it to the ESPN Collegiate Esports Championship May 10-12 in Houston. RIT beat out nearly 500 other collegiate Hearthstone teams to get to the first-ever ESPN esports event.

Aditi Khazanchi came to RIT with three goals in mind. “I wanted to learn how to design inclusive experiences that empower people around me; gain industry experience; and learn from cultures outside of my own,” said Khazanchi, who grew up in New Delhi, India. Check, check and check.

RIT is silencing the doubters, winning its second Collegiate Starleague Dota 2 Grand Finals Championship April 28. The student team bested a bracket of North America’s 32 top universities to take home the $10,000 grand prize.

“The Future of Technology, the Arts and Design,” the first-ever symposium and panel discussion of its kind held during Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival, showcased what RIT alumni envision for next 50 years related to technology, the arts and design and how we can leverage its power for the greater good.

The Women’s Council of RIT awarded 13 students with scholarships at the Women’s Council Scholarship Award Luncheon at Liberty Hill on April 17.

Animation Career Review has again named RIT one of the top game design schools in the country. RIT ranked fifth on the list of Top 50 Game Design Schools in the U.S. and second in New York state.

When the Seneca Park Zoo Society needed a way to create detailed 3D computer models of rare insects from Madagascar, they turned to RIT’s imaging science program for help. A multidisciplinary team of first-year students designed and built a new system to tackle the problem and will showcase the final product at the Imagine RIT festival.

“The Future of Technology, the Arts and Design,” a futurists symposium, takes place at 11 a.m. April 27 during Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival. Four RIT alumni will share their visions of the future as it relates to RIT’s core disciplines.