Harrisburg University to Hold Video Game Design Workshops for Center for Talented Youth Families

Oct. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Harrisburg University of Science and Technology will welcome more than 100 students and families from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth for a day-long series of workshops on video game design and production on October 9, 2010.

Juancho Buchanan, Ph.D., Director of Technology at Relic Entertainment is the keynote speaker.  In his role at Relic Entertainment, he oversees the 47 programmers in this award leading studio.  His main interests are rapid and early iteration, cheap ideation, and solid multiplatform ship capability.  Mr. Buchanan will be discussing interactivity, initial game design and how simple ideas can rapidly be iterated using Gamesalad.
After the keynote presentation, families will attend workshops covering a myriad of topics ranging from video production and game design to creativity and programming.

CTY conducts the nation’s oldest and most extensive academic talent search and offers educational programming for students with exceptionally high academic ability. CTY parallels, and complements, a gifted child’s regular school class experience. CTY’s programs and students have been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and other premier American publications.  

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology is the only higher education institution in Central Pennsylvania to offer an academic program in video game design, development, programming and art during the 2010-11 academic year, according to new research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).  

The event was organized by CTY and Bilita Mattes, Associate Provost, and Charles Palmer, associate professor of multi-media at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

“This is a great opportunity for these families to learn about game design and how it can lead to a rewarding career in healthcare, education, business or government as well as the gaming industry itself,” says Palmer,  director of the University’s Center for Advanced Entertainment & Learning Technologies (CAELT) where he leads new developments in digital storytelling and forms of entertainment technology.  “The engine behind some of the favorite first-person shooter games is being used to create training simulators for everyone from firefighters to dock workers to medical professionals. Public and private sector organizations in the fields of healthcare, education and business are increasingly relying on computer and video games to modernize and improve their operations."

Founded in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania’s need to meet the demand for careers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is an innovative and ambitious private institution.  It has begun to produce graduates who provide increased competence and capacity in science and technology disciplines for Pennsylvania and the nation.  Harrisburg University ensures institutional access for under-represented students and links learning and research to practical outcomes.  As a private University serving the public good, Harrisburg University remains the only STEM-focused comprehensive university between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

For more information on the University's demand-driven undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in applied science and technology fields, call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu.

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Established in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania’s need for increased opportunities for study leading to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is an innovative and ambitious private institution.