Carleton gaming system chosen for World’s most prestitious gaming exhibition

Ottawa – A computer game research project from Carleton University has been selected to showcase at E3, the world’s largest industry entertainment conference. (http://www.e3expo.com/)

“We’re thrilled to let the world see what our Carleton researchers can do on the gaming front,” says Dr. Anthony Whitehead, principal investigator of the project.

The research team that consists of Whitehead, masters student Hannah Johnston and undergraduate students Kaitlyn Fox, Nick Crampton and Joe Tuen, has developed Sensor Networks for Active Play (SNAP), entertainment-based applications (games and training) that encourage a high level of physical exertion in a fun format.

“As it stands now, games don’t require significant physical skills to play,” says Whitehead. ”The SNAP system incorporates physicality as part of the input system so couch potatoes playing against Olympic athletes will both get a vigorous workout.The goal is to combine active play and multimedia to help alleviate the obesity crisis in youth.”

The SNAP system was selected by a jury at the IndieCade independant game developers arcade held last summer.

The research project has been developed through the Interactive Mulitmedia and Design (IMD) program of the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) which is a joint collaboration between Carleton University and Algonquin College. BIT offers students a practical and theoretical approach to gain both artistic and technical skills for the modern entertainment industry, including animation, game design, visual effects, and web-base applications. www.bitdegree.ca.