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The Game Dev Program at DePaul University in Chicago offers undergraduate and graduate study in game development: game programming, design, production and animation, with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary team project courses. We have strong ties to the Chicago game community, including our Industry Advisory Board and many working instructors.

Quinn Dunki lecture 6pm May 22nd

Quinn Dunki, indie game developer and Senior Engineer at Pandemic Studios, will visit DePaul’s Game Dev program on Thursday, May 22nd. At 6pm in Lewis 341 she will give a presentation about Gate, a pc logic/puzzle game she entered in the 2008 Independent Games Festival. This lecture is open to all DePaul students and faculty. She will also be visiting Joe Linhoff’s Capstone Project class to give feedback on their games. Quinn has been making games for over 20 years, the last 12 of which have been professional, including a stint at Bungie. Her engineering education and professional life have been focused almost entirely on artificial intelligence in games.

You can read about and download (free) Gate here: http://www.quinndunki.com/gate/ Warning: it’s addictive.

June 4, 2008 | Author: Scott | Filed under: News, Events

Game Jam ‘08 Photos

Find it hard to believe that so many were willing to work for 30 straight hours creating XNA games at Game Jam ‘08?

We have photos to prove it.

May 23, 2008 | Author: Scott | Filed under: Events

GameDev Prof on NPR’s Midmorning

Professor Robin Burke was one of the guests on Minnesota Public Radio’s Midmorning with Kerri Miller program on Thursday, May 1 at 10 am. He and fellow guest Dennis McCauley of the Philadelphia Inquirer took calls from local listeners and discussed (what else?) GTA IV.

May 16, 2008 | Author: robin | Filed under: News, Blogroll

Robin Burke on GTA4 in Tribune

Grand Theft Auto 4 image

Chicago Tribune technology reporter Eric Benderoff interviewed Game Dev professor Dr. Robin Burke for his story “‘Grand Theft Auto’ still driving critics nuts” in connection with the release of the much-anticipated (and delayed) sequel. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

The technical prowess is partly why DePaul’s Burke requires his students play the “Grand Theft Auto” games for his Introduction to Game Design course.

” ‘Grand Theft Auto 3′ had a huge impact on what could be done, technically, with video games,” he said. But because the game was filled with violence, including killing cops, those technical aspects that appeal to developers and gamers have been overlooked.

Game Dev/Animation Study in Japan

CDM Japan: Computer Gaming & Animation — A Japan trip focusing on Computer Gaming & Animation is offered again. A 13-day trip to Tokyo and Kyoto, from Nov 28 to Dec 11 will take students to visit several gameand animation companies in Japan. The program is open to undergraduate and graduate students in CDM who have a strong interest in computer gaming and animation.

The application deadline is May 15. Get more information here.

April 26, 2008 | Author: Scott | Filed under: News

“I Survived Game Jam ‘08″

Congratulations to the winning team: Josh Weinberg, Raheel Khalid, and Andrew Cook, creators of Hippie Blaster!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2008 DePaul Game Jam! It was everything we expected and more: exhausting, competitive, inspiring, educational and, most of all, fun! Watch this spot for a full post about the event soon, including a list of prize winners, photos, video and downloads of the games.

An enormous thank you goes out to our event sponsors, Midway Games, Microsoft and Gamecrazy, and our judges: DePaul’s Game Designer in Resdidence Eugene Jarvis of Raw Thrills, Inc., Matt Booty of Midway Games, Dan Kaufman of High Voltage, Misha Davenport of the Chicago Sun-Times and Martin Schray of Microsoft.

April 14, 2008 | Author: Scott | Filed under: Events

Register Now for the GAME JAM

When: 11am Saturday April 12 – 5pm Sunday April 13 (30 hours)Where: DePaul University, 243 South Wabash

Now is the time to get a team together for the DePaul Game Jam! On April 12, the competition will begin to create the best game in 30 hours. The design challenge will be announced at 11 am on April 12^th and the competition will close at 5 pm the next day with awards to follow. The teams will use the XNA platform.

Gary Gygax, inventor of the RPG, 1938-2008

Gary Gygax on Futurama

In September of 2006 I corresponded with Mr. Gygax about visiting DePaul to talk to students. Regrettably he became ill just before his planned trip, something I’ll always regret.

Gary Gygax had an inestimable effect on games, game developers and our popular culture. He was a man completely devoted to advancing the medium. I was lucky enough to grow up within driving distance of Lake Geneva and the birthplace of it all, and some of my fondest geek memories are of the Winter Revels I attended in the ’80s. Warren Spector wrote an enlightening post about Gygax’s impact on his blog.

The signature on Gary Gygax’s emails makes an appropriate epitath: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

March 15, 2008 | Author: Scott | Filed under: News

Eugene Jarvis, DePaul Game Designer in Residence

One of the trailblazers of the video game industry has joined the faculty of DePaul University's Game Development program. Eugene Jarvis, creator of some of the industry's most popular games, was recently named Game Designer-in-Residence by DePaul's College of Computing & Digital Media.