August 31, 2016
Contact Lisa Hall 425-352-5461 / lhall7@uw.edu
UW Bothell’s Digital Future Lab getting attention at PAX Seattle gamers convention events
BOTHELL, Washington – The University of Washington Bothell’s Digital Future Lab is getting attention at PAX, the gamers convention that has brought tens of thousands of video game enthusiasts to Seattle over Labor Day weekend.
The main convention spins off related events. The Digital Future Lab team of a few staff and mostly undergraduate students was invited to demo their game, Ghostlight Manor, at a pre-PAX open house on the Microsoft campus. They were also invited to the Seattle Indies Expo on Sunday, a one-day exhibition for independent game developers.
Jason Pace is the lab's executive director. He says the students will be showing off the latest versions of Ghostlight Manor, a game developed by students originally for mobile devices. It’s an all-age puzzle game featuring a cast of monsters on 56 levels.
The Microsoft event is an open house for the Independent Developers at Xbox or ID@XBOX program, which showcases smaller game studios. The DFL is one of very few university studios that has been accepted into the program.
“The ID@XBOX program has a high bar, and studios must demonstrate both that they have commercially viable games and also the competence to deliver a quality product,” says Pace.
Katie Stone Perez is the senior program manager of the Microsoft program. She says she’s inspired by the DFL's work,
"ID@Xbox is thrilled to be showcasing Ghostlight Manor from the Digital Future Lab at our event this week and to have the game releasing onto Windows 10," says Perez. "It's so exciting to see university programs around the world be able to take their curriculum to the next level allowing students to gain experience releasing games into the marketplace. I’m inspired by the amazing work happening within UW Bothell’s Digital Future Lab and look forward to seeing what they and their students do next."
The Seattle Indies Expo is a one day exhibition for independent developers.
“Games selection was competitive and submissions were evaluated by a jury of local industry folks, and we made the cut!” says Pace. One of the judges said, “The simplicity/complexity ratio is just right – you don't try to get too fancy but there are also enough elements that can be mixed and matched that the game stays fresh."
The lab also is developing a computer version and preparing it for the Steam platform, which is used to distribute games online. The lab has other games in development. They are enhanced by each new class of students through the lab, which operates as an academic research center and independent design studio.
PAX or the Penny Arcade Expo started in 2004 in Bellevue and has grown each year. This year’s sold-out conference runs Friday through Monday at the Washington State Convention Center.
About UW Bothell: Opportunity and outcomes put the University of Washington Bothell in the top 25 of Washington Monthly’s Best Bang for the Buck ranking in the western region. UW Bothell provides access to an exceptional University of Washington education for students of tremendous potential. Offering more than 45 undergraduate and graduate degrees, options, certificates and concentrations, UW Bothell builds regional partnerships, inspires change, creates knowledge, shares discoveries and prepares students for leadership in the state of Washington and beyond.
