The Emerging Analytics Center (EAC) at UA Little Rock organized two VR summer camps for students in grade seven to twelve. The two camp sessions were hosted at the computer lab of the EAC between July 22 to 26 and July 29 to August 2. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the EAC has offered summer camps about interactive and immersive VR technology and its applications. The students were taught how to create a video game for the Meta Quest 2, a current popular VR experience platform. This involved learning about concepts in computer-game development as well as related tools by creating a video-game level. The students were introduced to Unity, a software for creating and executing computer games, and familiarized themselves with key concepts required for designing, developing, and deploying a 3d video game.
Each day of the summer camps a different EAC expert led the implementation of a particular game element. By the end of a camp, each student’s game level included a walkie-talkie quest, an obstacle course, an escape room, and a spaceship repair shop. These game elements challenge players with tasks such as relaying messages, navigating through physical obstacles, solving puzzles, and performing repairs to a spaceship. The students designed the overall concept of their level using game design documents to choose an overall design theme, designed level layouts, created scripts in C# for Unity, and added customizable non-playable characters. All of the students’ design choices enhanced the gameplay experience.
In addition to game development, students interacted with software applications and equipment at the EAC. The students took pictures beside a virtual UA Little Rock Maximus mascot with the Maximus AR app, played whack-a-ghost with the AR Spook Splat app, and previewed an upcoming software application simulating forest hiking designed at the EAC and experienced in the EAC’s CAVE. Students also learned about equirectangular images and how they are used in the EAC’s Project 360 Tours. As a special highlight, Jason Zak, the EAC’s resident artist, explained to students the intricacies of 3d modeling and his professional journey from the video game industry to his current role at the EAC. Students were able to see some of his project work and hear about opportunities available at the EAC and UA Little Rock.
Find out more information about projects happening at Emerging Analytics Center by visiting eac.ualr.edu.
