Interactive Video Games at URCAD

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:31:07 -0400

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC!
Besides the poster and oral presentations, URCAD has some exciting exhibits.Come play interactive video games created by UMBC students! Talk to the makers about how they created their virtual worlds and the art and engineering behind it.

https://urcad.umbc.edu/agenda/video-games/

Time: All Day
Location: RAC Arena (Ground Floor)

Interactive Video Games

Joanna Pedro, "User Perspectives On AI-Assisted Dance Training: An Iterative Design And Qualitative Evaluation

This study explores the evolving relationship between kinesthetic skill acquisition and human-computer interaction. Current digital dance resources, such as video-sharing platforms, often lack the technical specificity and real-time feedback required for rigorous dance education. This study investigates the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to serve as assistive tools that supplement traditional pedagogy by increasing both accessibility and instructional precision. While preliminary research on movement-based technology exists, its application in dance studios remains underdeveloped. This research utilizes an iterative design methodology to develop an application prototype that employs AI-driven motion analysis and AR overlays to demonstrate specific dance skills. To evaluate user interaction with such a tool, a qualitative study was conducted using a structured questionnaire to gauge dancers' perspectives on the prototype's pedagogical value, design, and its impact on the learning process. The findings aim to demonstrate that integrated technology can act as a significant asset in refining technical execution and democratizing high-level instruction.

Mentor: Ann Sofie Clemmensen

Rick Jenkins, Cristian Uribe, Daniel Lee, Henry Walenczyk, Ben Varga, Lacey Wilburn, Unchisa Kitisook, "Against the Grain"

Created as part of the Capstone Games Group Project course, Against the Grain is a two-dimensional top-down game that blends elements of strategy and farming games, creating unique logistical challenges for the player to overcome. The project was built in Unity using C#. The programmers were tasked with creating the tile system that lays the foundation for the entire game. They then worked hard to implement the different units of the game, whether that be the farmers, animals, or robots. Creating multiple variants of each unit to grant the player more options when it comes to strategy, and more challenges they will have to overcome. The enemy units are programmed to create mounting positional pressure without randomness, creating a solid threat to the players' troops. The farmer units not only can attack but can also grow and harvest crops, with crops being used as currency to get the animal units to move and attack. The artists worked diligently to create a visual style that was charming and easy to read and understand. The game promotes a strategy of managing crop production, converting harvest into combat units, and defeating enemies.

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Karlos Lorenzo Veloso, Caleb Moesner, Damon Gullion, Adam Tran, Jasmine Kareem-Robinson, Liam Scott, Daniel Noonan, "Turtle Thrashing"

Turtle Thrashing is a game about a silly turtle in a two-dimensional auto-shooter in the Godot game engine. In this game, the player is a turtle who is just minding their own business until a bunch of enemies start coming to attack them. Utilizing an arsenal of attacks that range from fun to goofy to absurd, the turtle fends off an increasing horde of enemies until they finally face and take down the final boss to make them stop bothering them. Artists were able to use any Art/Animation-based Program they were accustomed to, allowing players to choose through a diverse range of stylized upgrades/attacks, and various enemies to tactically evade and take down. Programmers were tasked to balance the power of these various and diverse attacks and enemies, allowing players a plethora of playstyles to either counter specific enemies, do as much damage as possible, or whatever random array of attacks they think are the coolest. This game will showcase the combined efforts and challenges both our Artists and Programmers faced in creating a fun and dynamic experience.

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Mino Yevdayev, Elijah Manning, William Zendgraft, Megan Gregory, Tim Reiss, Priscila Herrera, Alex Mosko, "Potions, Please!"

Created in UMBC's Team-Based Game Development course, Potions, Please! is a two-dimensional (2D) crafting game developed in the Godot 4 game engine and art assets created in art programs Procreate, Krita, and ibis Paint X. The player is a witch apprentice, Yasmeen, who must run her mentor's potions shop after mysterious business requires her to travel away. Yasmeen must decipher her mentor's scatter-brained recipes to collect the correct ingredients and complete potion orders. The entire team collaborated to come up with interesting ideas for gameplay and storytelling. The artists developed a warm and whimsical style that suits the game's content, designing original characters, objects, and environments. The coder integrated gameplay mechanics and user-interface (UI) as well as coding compelling ingredient collection minigames that would not be too difficult for the average player while still being engaging. Between puzzles to solve, non-playable character (NPC) story lines, and a fluffy feline familiar, Potions, Please! is a fun and creative game for our team to develop and foster a deeper understanding of programming, visual design, and team-based game development.

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Amanda Negrete, Kristen Sauder , Rachel Fonder, Michael Moore, Ryan Whitfield, Adrian Jovel , Leila Cron, "MouseHouse"

Created in a Team-Based Game Development class, Mouse House is a game that explores both three-dimensional environments in collaboration with 2D character style developed in the Unity game engine. The game utilizes and explores Unity gravity mechanics and a first-mouse point of view as you maneuver around enemies that can affect the player's health using mechanics like radial enemies and fright systems through Unity C# Scripts. Playing as a mouse, Mouse House reimagines everyday household objects at a massive scale, transforming ordinary spaces into immersive and dynamic environments. A 3D environment was constructed with Autodesk Maya to provide an intricate world full of ample hiding spaces, and player interface and 2D assets were created in Krita and edited in Adobe Animate to create a hand-drawn sense of whimsy to contrast the large and harsh environment the player must maneuver. Development of this game provided for a uniquely engaging collaborative experience that allowed for cross-discipline exploration of programming, visual design, and overcoming challenges in a team-based setting.

Mentor: Eric Jordan

Ky DeSilva, Sophie Suit, Chloe Hradek, Riley Heath, Luke Schultz, Maria Diaz, Derek Levey, "Sandwich Dog"

Sandwich Dog is a virtual reality (VR) video game createdwith Unity engine as part of the Capstone Games Group Project course. The game makes core use of the XR interaction toolkit package and native physics systems from Unity engine to immerse the player in a world where they have to do a mundane task in an unfamiliar way. The goal of the game is to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the dexterity challenges that come with being an ordinary dog. This project encouraged visual art majors who were previously unfamiliar with 3D software to learn how to create game-ready assets, and challenged programmers to encapsulate and test gameplay systems without having access to the VR hardware at all times.

Mentor: Eric Jordan