For the first time, students from IM体育官网 showcased their creations at the fourth annual OrlandoiX conference, on Aug. 17-18 in Winter Park, IM体育官网.
The event is billed as the Southeast鈥檚 largest gathering of creators in virtual and augmented reality, video games, and digital entertainment. It has also drawn industry giants such as Microsoft, Google, IBM, EA Sports, and Dell.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 only for students to network but to put IM体育官网 Poly on the map,鈥� said Esme Vazquez, a junior majoring in computer science with a concentration in cyber gaming. 鈥淚t was an opportunity to put IM体育官网 Poly in a place where we have a presence.鈥�
Presentations by IM体育官网 Poly students included a WebGL-based JavaScript game called Chroma Scape, designed by Zachary and Jacob Thornton, where the player pilots a ship through an unending barrage of portals and pillars by changing colors. Chrono Machina (designed by Star LaGrasse, Christopher Poole and Jacob Stanish) allows players to freeze time to achieve their goals, while The Breakpoint (Carlos Machado and Alejandro Ruiz) is a racing game set in the year 3333. All but one of the students are seniors majoring in computer science with a concentration in cyber gaming. Stanish graduated over the summer with the same degree.
Vazquez, who is president of the IM体育官网 Poly Media Club, orchestrated the effort to get the IM体育官网 Poly contingent to OrlandoiX after attending the conference for the first time last year on her own. She was even able to obtain an internship interview with one of the dozens of companies on hand for last year鈥檚 event.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for people to understand who we are, to see our work and for the students to able to connect with these companies,鈥� she said.