Download this video: Space_Pong_640x360.mov Rebekah Beachum, Andres Izturriaga, and David Vincen Space Pong is an experimental video game that combines elements of ludology (emphasizing game mechanics and the joy of playing) and narratology (focusing on a narrative structure and the joy of being immersed in a story). The game itself is simple, very much like the classic video game Pong but with an added third dimension. The player controls the up, down, left, and right direction of the paddle, and attempts to get the ball past the opponent's (or the computer's) paddle. The game is introduced by a short video that sets the context for the gaming experience with four characters representing opposing teams in the actual game. Finally, after winning or losing a match of Space Pong, another video, with the same characters as in the beginning is played again. The video sequences thus provide the player with a narrative framework in which to see the otherwise very structural and rule-based game. Even more so, it establishes important connections to cinematic pop-culture references, such as TRON that are inherently narrative in their structure but are based on very simple rule-based computer games. Space Pong completes the circle from simple-rule based computer game to cinematic narrative to a hybrid between the two in an interesting form mixing experimentally key elements of ludology and narratology. Download this video: Entropy_640x360.mov Vanessa Brasfield, Spencer Edwards, Evan Hissey, Brennan Jensen, Kyle Krawciw, RJ Mattingly, Trevor Sedgwick, Carl Sommer, Nicole Zaguroli It is fairly predictable that nature, if left to its own devices, will move towards chaos; cliffs will fall into the sea, a forest will burn to the ground, and a city will crumble. This phenomenon of disorder out of order is so prevalent that scientists often wonder how such highly structured things as galaxies and even life itself could come to be. What if it were the opposite? Entropy takes this idea of chaos vs. order and relates elements of the story to questions of the morality of science, humans' ability to see negative aspects to rising technology, and the role of nature in the perceived order of the world around us. The player navigates through a post-apocalyptic world in which systems that would normally lose energy and structure, now gain it. Part puzzle and part mystery, the player must first find out what went wrong, and then figure out how to fix it. The experience in Entropy is based on custom-made game mechanics that allow a player to modify the material properties of their surroundings in real-time, in their journey to re-establish a physical balance in the world. Download this video: Nightshade_640x360.mov Andrew Feldkamp, Yulai Liu, Chris Mankey, Nowai Matthew, Jessica Thayer The computer game Deadly Nightshade is set in a medieval city in Central Europe. The player's character is a traveling artist who is accused of having murdered the king. The game revolves around the player collecting enough evidence to clear their name before being caught and killed. Deadly Nightshade is designed to parallel the art style of the medieval ages with its black-and-white textures - inspired by 15th century woodcuts - which help draw the gamer into the time period. Even though not fully implemented in this sketch, it was the game developers' goal to create dynamic game-play by using a non-linear story line as their video game structure. This allows for unexpected consequences and events that will build up the narrative structure so that the story will be different depending on different players. The developers also hope that the use of nonlinear game-play will increase the player's interest in the medieval time period, learning about culture and customs. The title for example references a poisonous extract from a plant called Atropa Belladonna (commonly known as the Deadly Nightshade), used in Renaissance times as a beauty product that was applied to the eyes to dilate the pupils in order to give women a wide-eyed appearance. The game's assassin used this poison to kill the king.