Jul 3, 2008 9:41 am US/Eastern
Drexel Students Creating Innovative Interactivity
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Inversion, a game that combines the virtual and real world with GPS and text messaging, is one of several innovative games in development at Drexel.
CBS
Students at Drexel University are designing video games that are taking user interaction to a whole new level. CBS 3 Stephanie Abrams takes a look at how Drexel minds are playing with our future.
From traditional game controllers to the innovative Wii remote, there has always something that comes between you and the game. But at Drexel University, students are using a special touch screen to take away the middle man.
Students at Drexel have been developing a game that uses multiple hands to move the characters called Diggums. By touch alone, a player can move, squish and even sling their Diggum..
"A single finger gesture is different than two fingers versus three fingers versus four or five," said Dr. Paul J. Diefenback, co-director of Drexel's RePlay Lab.
Diefenback added multiple hands from multiple users can be used at the same time during the game, something that has not been done before.
Planet Diggums is the first game to bypass complicated controls. The concept is being developed for classroom applications that will be seen in Philadelphia schools within a year.
"Here there's no disconnect. What you touch is what you're interacting with," Dr. Diefenback said.
Drexel students also created a group game called "Inversion" which combines the real world with the virtual world. Students call it an "alternate reality game."
Players sync up a GPS program that connects their cell phones with the game. As they run through campus, the players' GPS signals are identified on the virtual campus and they are directed with text messages.
"It's exhausting running around the actual pavement running around Drexel's campus playing the game," said Dr. Frank Lee of Drexel's Department of Computer Science.
Drexel University professors believe "Inversion" could become an exercise game, but for now it's being developed by a company for emergency response training.
"You could imagine fire captain sitting as the controller and the firemen outside," Dr. Lee said.
With the potential applications of the games in development at Drexel, the student creators are getting recognized by universities and software companies around the world.
Related Links:
Drexel RePlay Lab
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