Student developers share video games

The world has been cursed and stripped of all its light, encompassed by total darkness. Evil creatures lurk around every corner and behind every tree, stalking the one woman who carries humanity's last hope for light.

Welcome to Scarfell, the brainchild of the students of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF's graduate video game development school.

On Monday, FIEA students invited the UCF community into the world of three video games, including Scarfell, as it hosted a playtesting session in the Student Union.

While games like Scarfell allow its players to be immersed in an alternative world, their developers also became one with their project.

"These students have been living, dying, eating and breathing these games for six months. They have put so much into them and it really shows," Todd Deery, communication and admission director of FIEA said.

Many students agree with Deery, saying they work at least 60 hours a week on their games, but not one student is given all the credit for a game.

It takes a team of about 15 students working together to create about 20 minutes of game play. Each team is composed of students specializing in one of the three tracks offered by FIEA — production, programming and art.

Carmela DeNero is one of the producers of Scarfell. As a producer, DeNero develops video game ideas, manages teams of game developers, designs levels and deals with issues like marketing and distribution, as well as recording feedback at playtesting sessions.

DeNero has been interested in gaming ever since she was a little girl. From playing Super Mario Brothers to producing a game of her own, she is fulfilling her life-long passion.

"I love producing, because it is like being a jack of all trades, overseeing everything about the game, as opposed to just one aspect of a it," DeNero said.

Having her hands in just about every aspect of the game keeps DeNero busy.

"Producing games feels like a full-time job, but a fun full-time job. I'm very excited to be doing it," DeNero said.

According to freshman Dominic Marzouca, the Scarfell team's work has paid off.

"Besides a few bugs and glitches which are to be expected at this stage of the game, it was interesting, simple and adventurous. I could see this game going somewhere," Marzouca said.

Students interested in gaming met with the developers of the games and shared their feedback, a crucial aspect needed to improve the games to use them as portfolio pieces for internships or career opportunities after graduation.

"[A playtesting session] gives the students a chance to look through a fresh perspective and feedback from the people playtesting the games," Deery said.

Aside from Deery's administrative position, he is involved in the students' creative journey and provides support throughout the entire process of creating video games, from generating the idea to completion.

From observing many different groups of graduates enrolled in the FIEA program, Deery says this group of students has done the best job of taking advantage of playtesting sessions and has worked long and hard to perfect their games.

Another game that was playtested Monday was Dead West, a survival-action role playing game set in the Old West as Jack Dixon sets to kill carnival workers he once knew from the past.

Dead West's lead artist, Mary Denman, said she is very happy with the way the game has come along so far. She has been interested in world building since she was 16 years old and she is excited to finally apply her passion to video games.

"I love being able to create a story and depth through world building and being able to make virtual worlds come to life," Denman said.

Denman has worked on 3-D modeling, texturing and animating for Dead West, as well as the technical side of the game. Her goal is to make the game visually pleasing and fun to play.

For all of her accomplishments, Denman said the best part of being apart of FIEA is the family it has created for her.

"We are all a very crazy, but very close-knit family. We all work well together and all came together because of our passion about games," Denman said.

According to senior Nicholas Levin, Dead West was visually successful and entertaining.

"I was absolutely impressed. Anyone who can design a game and make it fun with the resources and time they had is talented," Levin said.

The third game that was playtested Monday was Nexus, a game set in a mysterious underground city where the player obtains an alien power that allows them to manipulate the mass of objects to solve puzzles and kill enemies.

Jonathan April, a producer of Nexus, has been a gamer for as long as he can remember. He owned every game system his parents would buy him. To him, it was only natural that he would turn his love for gaming into a career possibility.

To make his dream of becoming a video game producer a reality, April traveled from Maryland to be apart of FIEA. From designing levels to overseeing every aspect of creating Nexus, April is most appreciative of the environment he is surrounded by each day.

"Working with the other students has been great and it has created an environment like a real game industry and providing hands-on experience," April said.

With new feedback to take into consideration, FIEA students are closer to completing their games. After a long day of observing gamers playtest their games, FIEA students were content with the outcome and are able to improve their games before the summer ends.

"The playtesting session was extremely successful. There was a fantastic turnout and on behalf of FIEA students and faculty, I would like to thank all of the playtesters for their help in making our games better," DeNero said.