Student Game Showcased at World's Largest Gaming Convention

May 30, 2017

 A team of Bradley University game design students will get the chance to put their game on one of the world's largest gaming stages. 
 
During the 16-17 school year a senior game design capstone team created a game called "Starcats". It placed in the top 5 of the E3 Collegiate Competition, sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association.  By doing so, the team has been invited to LA for the convention June 13-15 to exhibit and share the game with thousands of attendees from around the world.
 
Bradley's Department of Interactive Media Chairman, Ethan Ham, says E3 is the premier conference for the video game industry and is commonly said to be the world's largest gaming convention. "It is really a big deal. This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to show the world the amazing work they have done. It reconfirms that Bradley University is home to a world-class education in video game development."
 
Starcats is a 4 player, co-operative/competitive game, where players have crash landed onto a planet and they are trying to fuel their ship so that they can survive and escape the planet. The twist is that players are free to behave how they choose, whether that means playing selfishly or cooperatively, and any number of players can "win", rather than having a clear cut winner. 
Game producer, Quentin Young, says he's still in shock because being invited to E3 to showcase is a game developer’s dream. "I grew up watching E3, glued to the TV as I watched Microsoft and Sony change the industry by unveiling hardware like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  It usually takes years for this to happen. Anyone can buy a ticket to the show, but to be a Top 5 finalist from a field of more than 400 colleges? I’m still in disbelief."
The team is comprised of:
(Unless otherwise noted, all team members graduated in Spring 2017)
Quentin Young, Producer - Groveland Illinois
Jacob Gruener, Programmer - Bristol Wisconsin
Ryan Hughes, 3D Modeler/Animator and Technical Artist - *5th year, Elgin Illinois
Rhianna Guptill, Lead Artist - Darien Illinois
Aidan Kennell, Programmer - Roanoke Illinois
Joe Sorgea, Lead Programmer - St. Louis Missouri
Luke Grebe, Programmer - East Peoria Illinois
Brien Jackson, UI/UX Artist - Chicago Illinois
Matt Kolakowski, UI/UX Artist - Chicago Illinois
Brian Rodgers, Programmer - Warrenville Illinois
Matt Heerdegen, Sound Design - Lake Zurich Illinois
Caleb Sams, Programmer - Forsyth Illinois
Gage Melton, Lead Designer and Technical Artist -Stevensville Michigan
Samantha Concklin, Composer - *Junior, Western Springs Illinois
 
Team members say they're excited to have personal interaction with industry professionals and create contacts that might help them land jobs and take their game to the next level.  
 
Team members are available for interviews by contacting the Office of Public Relations.  The Starcats trailer is available on YouTube, and the game website and twitter accounts are available with more information.