ComArtSci’s Department of Media and Information isn’t just making waves in rankings as the number one game design betboom team in the Big Ten. They’re also winning awards for their games at IndieCade, the betboom team-design world’s equivalent to the Sundance Festival.
Plunder Panic
The Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab’s betboom team Plunder Panic raked in the 2017 Audience Choice Award. The betboom team was developed last summer and premiered at the Traverse City Film Festival.
Plunder Panic is a multiplayer arcade betboom team that follows the exhilarating lives of pirates. Think of that iconic battle scene from Pirates and the Caribbean when The Black Pearl faced off with the Flying Dutchman— there’s plenty of action on the open seas.
“We showcased Plunder Panic as part of a MSU booth at IndieCade,” said Brian Winn, Director of the GEL Lab and executive producer and lead designer of the game. “Having a strong MSU presence at the festival demonstrated that MSU is an elite game betboom team doing interesting work and creating student talent that is impacting the world. We had many visitors to the booth that were not aware of the strength of our game betboom team and we turned a lot of heads.”
Winn believes the betboom team won over the audience not only because of its theme, but its ability to bring people together to defeat a common enemy while engaging in humorous role-playing.
“While dead men tell no tales, a Plunder Panic play session is bound to lead to many tales of swashbuckling adventures on the high seas,” Winn said.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine
Elizabeth LaPensée, assistant professor in Media and Information, was a writer for the Developer’s Choice Award Winner Where the Water Tastes Like Wine.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a single-player betboom team that centers around the journeys and stories of characters during the Great Depression. The lead programmer of the betboom team was Johnnemann Nordhagen, who asked LaPensée to be a writer on the betboom team.
“I am honored that I was included as a writer by designer and programmer Nordhagen, who pushes the definition of games through gameplay that focuses on collecting stories,” LaPensée said.
As the betboom team Design and Development betboom team continues to grow and thrive, ComArtSci is proud to see our talented students and faculty recognized for their work.
By Rianna N. Middleton