All Over Albany

GameFest 2016 at RPI

The annual GameFest returns to RPI this weekend with a bunch of demos and talks about video games and their futures, along with an electronic music event. This year's theme is "Visions of the Virtual." The events are free and open to the public.

Here's some blurbage about the student-created games demo and competition at EMPAC that's part of the fest:

On Saturday, April 30, the GameFest expo, competition and symposium at EMPAC features over 50 student teams from colleges and universities across the Northeast, with a game design competition hosted by Vicarious Visions. Dive into virtual reality and fly a stunt kite, or become a narwhal making sandwiches at a deli counter. Play through a tale of love and loss using your own facial expressions, or explore an immersive environment of freshwater ecology. Check out the future of multiplayer gaming, haptic feedback devices, mobile games and more.

(Aren't we all narwhals making sandwiches at the deli counter of life?)

The schedule also includes Algorave 0x0F -- "an evening of cutting-edge electronic music, interactive visuals, and live-coding performances" -- Friday night at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity. And there will be keynotes and mini talks on Saturday. A condensed schedule is after the jump.

Friday, April 29

8-10 pm: Algorave 0x0F at TVCOG

Saturday, April 30

noon-3 pm: Student Game Design Showcase and Competition at EMPAC

3-4 pm: Microtalks at EMPAC
+ Sam Kasura: Why Gamers Actually Don't Want Change
+ Dom Cristaldi and Julius Lee: Animation Technology in Shotgun Gladiators
+ Bryce Miller and Jacob Schatz: Talking Atlas Live: Magic Lessons
+ David Koloski: Designing UI Systems
+ Julius Lee: Mocap Today: Report from GDC
+ Jacob Schatz: Mediums Well Done: Knowing Your Online Audience

4 pm: Keynote: Ruth West
"Ruth West is an artist and researcher. Her work envisions a future in which art + science integration opens new portals of imagination, creative expression, invention, knowledge, and communication across cultures."

5 pm: Keynote: Theresa Duringer
"Theresa Duringer is the CEO of Temple Gates Games, maker of the multi-award winning VR game Bazaar. After working on several AAA titles including Sim City, Spore, and the Sims, she set off on a wild indie adventure and co-created Cannon Brawl. This artillery RTS gained traction on PC and is in development for Xbox and Playstation. Her focus is now in VR, and her debut title, Bazaar has launched on Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. With an educational background in neuroscience and a decade of experience in game development, her work has been standout in employing optical illusions to achieve elegant UI in VR."

6 pm: Awards ceremony