Engineering News at NC State

Serious games developed at NC State include this re-creation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, in which game characters provide information about the aquarium’s habitats that is tailored to each player’s interests, background knowledge and reading level. (Photo:submitted)

The university’s new Digital Games Research Center (DGRC) focuses on research and education in digital games technologies and uses its technical expertise, facilities, licensing capabilities and top-notch graduates to build relationships with companies in the industry. The center’s faculty come from the colleges of Engineering, Education, Design, Management, and Humanities and Social Sciences.

Officially created in May 2007, the center is housed in the Department of Computer Science, which recently added a game development concentration to its undergraduate curriculum. According to Dr. R. Michael Young, associate professor of computer science and co-director of the DGRC, ongoing efforts between the DGRC and the economic development offices at NC State and Wake County are helping to make North Carolina a major player in the gaming industry.

“North Carolina is unique in its combination of the leading game companies that are headquartered here, its world-class research universities and the many North Carolina high-tech firms seeking to employ advanced technologies to address training and workforce issues,” Young said. He shared this message with members of Congress during an exhibition on Capitol Hill in June.

The Triangle boasts more than 30 game-development companies, including Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Emergent Game Technologies and Red Storm Entertainment. Insomniac Games recently added its name to this list, announcing plans to open a studio in the area in 2009.

Many of the game companies in North Carolina focus on the development of serious games, which range from military simulations to surgical training to children’s educational software. The North Carolina serious games industry was the topic of this spring’s NC State Economic Development Forum, which brought together more than 100 business and academic leaders to share ideas and discuss trends.

The conference attracted speakers from the U.S. Department of Defense, WakeMed Health & Hospitals and local game-development companies, showing the wide range of applications and industries to which serious games are contributing.

Jim Zuiches, vice chancellor for extension, engagement and economic development at NC State, was impressed with the conference. He said, “I think that we are seeing the future of learning in the discussion and presentations today.”

December 9, 2008

Serious about gaming