I seem to be straying more from hockey at this blog. To those of you who come here just to read or be directed to my hockey stories, I apologize. Hockey writing shall recommence very shortly. Today, I want to spotlight the place where I work part-time. DigiPen Institute of Technology is a wonderful land where students young and old are encouraged to CREATE - everything from amazing animations to awesome video/computer games. In the 5 short months I've been here, I've met some truly unique students, professors and staffers and am constantly amazed at the level of dedication they bring to their classes. I've also learned that several students are responsible for one of the most popular computer games out there - PORTAL, and that they're working on PORTAL 2, using elements from another game (Tag: The Power of Paint) developed by DigiPen students. Click here for an interview with these creative guys to see how the game came about.
A group of current students learned that their game, SOLACE, won the Student Showcase Award at the Independent Games Festival, beating out 280 other entries. You can read more about that honor here.
From my perch at the front desk, I can see the lobby, where a giant TV plays a reel of animations created by students past and present. A helpful student told me all of the animations, as well as other projects, can be found at DigiPen's website. Here's the link to that page. Make sure you check out my favorite clip, "Time to Harvest, about a man-eating pear! (BTW - professors include giants in the video game industry, as well as animators who worked on some illustrious films, including "Lilo & Stitch" and other Disney classics).
Now that I've hopefully piqued your interest about the world of teaching students the art of video game design, production and animation, you may be interested to check things out a little more closely. Those of you who live within driving distance of Redmond, Washington, can do that THIS SATURDAY! The school is hosting an Information Session on campus, with everyone from professors, to students, to DigiPen's founder and president, Claude Comair, on hand to answer your questions or help you decide your child's (or your own!) course of action! Claude's name may not be familiar to many of you, but at least one of his games will be. His many credits include: LEGEND OF ZELDA, POKEMON PUZZLE LEAGUE, MARIO vs. DONKEY KONG and RIDGE RACER.Claude's other passion is food, especially creating culinary masterpieces. This love shines through in the amazing cafe he has built at the new campus. Headed by a chef, it features a menu that's a multi-cultural tour as diverse as the student and teaching population. (And the authentic brick oven makes some truly tremendous pizza!).
Now that I've whetted your appetite, here's more info about the Info Session:
WHEN: Saturday, January 22 from 1pm - 4pm (Check-in begins at 12:30pm)
WHERE: DigiPen Institute of Technology
9931 Willows Road NE
Redmond, WA 98052
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Mix and mingle with current students and faculty
- Degree program information
- Admissions 101 overview
- Campus Tour (WELL WORTH IT)
- "Meet the President" - Claude Comair
- DigiPen gear prize raffle
If you can't make it this Saturday, they have info sessions planned for March 5 and May 14.
If you need to know something that's not listed here, just let me know. If I can't answering, I know someone who can!
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