Info know-how college students create Mizzou trivia recreation for capstone undertaking // Mizzou Engineering

Might 24, 2023

Info know-how college students at Mizzou this semester developed a single-player trivia recreation centered round Mizzou’s historic columns. 

Within the recreation, “The Lacking Columns,” gamers search for the displaced icons by exploring buildings on campus and chatting with digital college students as they be taught in regards to the historical past of the College of Missouri. As soon as gamers reply trivia questions, they’re rewarded with badges, and the columns reappear on the Francis Quadrangle. The sport was made by Lauren Stumpf, Steven Wu, Sajid Rahiyan and Kurt Unger.

The undertaking was one among many created by IT college students of their capstone course, a category that wraps up college students’ levels and prepares them for the lifetime of an IT skilled. Learn on to listen to from Stumpf, Wu and Unger in regards to the creation of the sport and their capstone expertise.

The place did the concept of the undertaking come from?
Stumpf: The thought got here from our collective curiosity as a gaggle in nostalgic pixel video games.  Loads of us grew up with handheld consoles from the late 90s to early 2000s and actually missed these sorts of video games, since they’re not produced anymore. We additionally felt that college life was overwhelming, so we wished to assist college students navigate and study it in a factual method.

Wu: The thought additionally got here from us wanting to assist incoming college students who might really feel overwhelmed about their new campus life, identical to ourselves at one level. We wished to realize this in a enjoyable and interactive strategy to seize the eye of our viewers. By means of weeks of planning and brainstorming all of us arrived on the determination that an academic recreation can be the perfect medium to execute our concept in.

Did the undertaking prove the way you hoped?
Stumpf: The undertaking exceeded our expectations. I don’t suppose any of us thought we’d get this far. None of us personally created a recreation earlier than, so we had been not sure of our abilities. However with a little bit of analysis and abilities we picked up alongside the way in which from courses, we had been capable of pull off one thing we’re pleased with.

What did you be taught through the undertaking?
Stumpf: I main labored on the design/art work and person testing facet of the sport, which was a enjoyable avenue to work in. I realized the way to create pixel art work, the way to apply design rules, the way to promote/market a recreation and ship out surveys to the Mizzou group to grasp their ideas and expectations for our recreation.

Unger: Personally, I realized quite a bit about recreation improvement and the intricacies that come about with it. Generally, you’ll be engaged on one space of the sport that has an unintended impact on one other space of the sport. Bugs are much more widespread than you’ll suppose and are very unpredictable.

Wu: Whereas my predominant focus throughout improvement was on the programming facet. I’d say the factor that caught with probably the most is how essential efficient planning and communication is. It actually units up the general tone for the undertaking. I’ve additionally realized how difficult it’s making pixel artwork, my designs are noticeably missing in comparison with the others.

How did your Mizzou Engineering training put together you for the capstone?
Unger: Mizzou Engineering ready me for this undertaking in a variety of methods. I had by no means executed any form of programming or software program improvement earlier than I ended up within the IT program. I feel Mizzou helped me put together a strong basis for what we had been capable of create, by means of our curriculum of programs in programming, recreation improvement and media design.

Stumpf: Along with all this, I’m grateful I started working with such a unbelievable group of people who’ve been captivated with this undertaking because the week we pitched it to our class. Every of us had a really fascinating story to inform about our experiences at Mizzou and we wished to seize it in our recreation. We wished to depart a mark on the place prefer it left a mark on us. My greatest take from all of that is that I’m grateful I had the chance to create such an superior undertaking, and I’m grateful to be graduating from Mizzou with a newfound group of buddies.

Thanks for sharing!

Be taught extra in regards to the info know-how program at Mizzou and apply as we speak!