Cuban Center Students Develop, Launch IU Arcade
12/14/2017 2:21:00 PM | General
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Interested in a fun online game for Hoosier fans of all ages?
Look no further than iuhoosiers.com.
Earlier this month, Indiana University Athletics released the "IU Arcade," now available to play for free at iuhoosiers.com/arcade. It is the latest creation from Indiana University's renowned Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology, and currently includes three sports-related games that offer fun for fans young and old.
The idea came to IU Assistant Athletic Director for Creative Services Andrew Rosner this summer when he stumbled across a similar project launched by the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Seeing an opportunity to engage with Hoosier fans in a fun and entertaining way, Rosner reached out to Indiana University's Media School and specifically Media School Professor Edward Castronova to see if he had any students pursuing degrees in Game Design who would be interested in being involved in the project.
The response was immediate. Joshua Smith (Web Developer, 2D Artist), Dakota Hotchkiss (2D Artist, UI/UX Design), Evan Spiegel (Game Programmer), Sam Moore (Game Programmer) and Raven Stadtmiller (Sound Designer, Music Composer) jumped at the chance to make the IU Arcade a reality. Each worked on their components of the project throughout the summer, and the design was largely complete by August. Smith – who served as the Arcade's Project Manager – stayed on this fall to finish the final pieces.
"I'm extremely happy to watch as it's released to the public," Smith said. "We made this arcade for IU fans to enjoy, and I can't wait to finally see its purpose fulfilled."
The IU Arcade offers three games from which to choose. "B-Ball Balance" is a timed game that challenges players to keep a basketball from falling from their fingertip. "Pigskin Pitch" rewards fans for accurately throwing footballs through various sized holes in 60 seconds. "Lil' 5," meanwhile, is a timed bike race that requires players to race while being wary of both their speed and stamina.
Each game includes IU-related graphics and arcade-style sound. No registration is required to play any of the games, although visitors can choose to sign up for a username and password so that they can track their high scores.
Each game also fulfills Rosner's biggest prerequisite for the project.
"We wanted to make sure fans of all ages could play the games, so when I first met with (the students), I said this has to be simple," Rosner said.
Mission accomplished. Each game has minimal instructions and you can play from either a mobile device or desktop computer.
While the IU Arcade has been available to the public for only a matter of days, Rosner is already envisioning more options for fans to choose from in the not-too-distant future. After working with this summer's Game Design students to get the project off the ground, Rosner wants to bring in three students each summer to add to the Arcade's offerings.
"Maybe we'll do three more next summer and keep this going," Rosner said. "We have football, basketball and Little 5, so maybe next summer it is baseball, golf and soccer. Just keep adding to it."
When it comes time to expand the IU Arcade, Rosner will once again turn to Game Design students at IU's Media School. Since opening in October 2016, the Cuban Center has created a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between the Media School and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, according to Rosner.
"The Media School has been a huge resource for us," Rosner said. "They're looking for opportunities for students, and we're looking for students to create. So it's been great."
After spending the last six months working in the Cuban Center, Smith echoes those sentiments.
"The Mark Cuban Center has made it their mission to constantly provide new opportunities for student game developers like myself," Smith said. "Students have the chance to get their hands dirty with real-world game development experience. Student learning is really their top priority with these projects."
Look no further than iuhoosiers.com.
Earlier this month, Indiana University Athletics released the "IU Arcade," now available to play for free at iuhoosiers.com/arcade. It is the latest creation from Indiana University's renowned Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology, and currently includes three sports-related games that offer fun for fans young and old.
The idea came to IU Assistant Athletic Director for Creative Services Andrew Rosner this summer when he stumbled across a similar project launched by the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Seeing an opportunity to engage with Hoosier fans in a fun and entertaining way, Rosner reached out to Indiana University's Media School and specifically Media School Professor Edward Castronova to see if he had any students pursuing degrees in Game Design who would be interested in being involved in the project.
The response was immediate. Joshua Smith (Web Developer, 2D Artist), Dakota Hotchkiss (2D Artist, UI/UX Design), Evan Spiegel (Game Programmer), Sam Moore (Game Programmer) and Raven Stadtmiller (Sound Designer, Music Composer) jumped at the chance to make the IU Arcade a reality. Each worked on their components of the project throughout the summer, and the design was largely complete by August. Smith – who served as the Arcade's Project Manager – stayed on this fall to finish the final pieces.
"I'm extremely happy to watch as it's released to the public," Smith said. "We made this arcade for IU fans to enjoy, and I can't wait to finally see its purpose fulfilled."
The IU Arcade offers three games from which to choose. "B-Ball Balance" is a timed game that challenges players to keep a basketball from falling from their fingertip. "Pigskin Pitch" rewards fans for accurately throwing footballs through various sized holes in 60 seconds. "Lil' 5," meanwhile, is a timed bike race that requires players to race while being wary of both their speed and stamina.
Each game includes IU-related graphics and arcade-style sound. No registration is required to play any of the games, although visitors can choose to sign up for a username and password so that they can track their high scores.
Each game also fulfills Rosner's biggest prerequisite for the project.
"We wanted to make sure fans of all ages could play the games, so when I first met with (the students), I said this has to be simple," Rosner said.
Mission accomplished. Each game has minimal instructions and you can play from either a mobile device or desktop computer.
While the IU Arcade has been available to the public for only a matter of days, Rosner is already envisioning more options for fans to choose from in the not-too-distant future. After working with this summer's Game Design students to get the project off the ground, Rosner wants to bring in three students each summer to add to the Arcade's offerings.
"Maybe we'll do three more next summer and keep this going," Rosner said. "We have football, basketball and Little 5, so maybe next summer it is baseball, golf and soccer. Just keep adding to it."
When it comes time to expand the IU Arcade, Rosner will once again turn to Game Design students at IU's Media School. Since opening in October 2016, the Cuban Center has created a wonderful opportunity for collaboration between the Media School and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, according to Rosner.
"The Media School has been a huge resource for us," Rosner said. "They're looking for opportunities for students, and we're looking for students to create. So it's been great."
After spending the last six months working in the Cuban Center, Smith echoes those sentiments.
"The Mark Cuban Center has made it their mission to constantly provide new opportunities for student game developers like myself," Smith said. "Students have the chance to get their hands dirty with real-world game development experience. Student learning is really their top priority with these projects."
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