The Elizabethtown Computer Science Club recently received a grant for professional licenses for Unity’s game design software.
The club plans to use the Unity software, which is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content, to learn about video game design, with the end goal of creating their own simple games, potentially to be used for senior projects. The club is also aiming to collaborate with the Elizabethtown College Gamer’s Guild Club to develop new games using the software platform.
President of the Computer Science Club, Nick Nolt ’23 worked with the club’s advisor, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Peilong Li to apply for and obtain the grant that was used to purchase the Unity gaming software.
Minecraft replica of the Hoover Center for Business created by the Computer Science Club
“This is just the start of the game design trends among our students,” Li said. “Living in a world that is powered by smart devices and metaverses, I hope our students can turn their imagination and programming skills into engaging and educating games and use those games to attract more young brains into the exciting world of computing.”
The club has also received additional funds from the Computer Science Department and Student Senate to purchase Oculus Quest headsets, which will be used to explore the virtual worlds club members create. A Minecraft server is already being hosted by the club, with members having collaboratively built such well-known campus buildings as the Jay’s Nest, Hoover Center for Business, and the Master’s Center for Science, Mathematics & Engineering on the sandbox video game platform.
The goal is for the Oculus Quest headsets to also be used during Open Houses, giving prospective students the opportunity to explore Etown virtually in the club’s Minecraft server.
