Visual Story & Nonverbal Narratives (1st-Year Course)
5208 (Cluster) – Student Films & Presentations
Visual Story and Nonverbal Narratives explores techniques that play a crucial role in media that evoke and manipulate emotions within audiences. These techniques are strategically employed in films, games, and other immersive media, to engage viewers on a deeper level, create memorable experiences, and convey messages more effectively. Students are showcasing:
Video Self Portraits that gave the students the opportunity to visually introduce themselves
Exercises in Creative Pipeline and in Building Tension where they created productions using composition and other principles to supplement their stories.
Promos for BVW Round 4 where they created a short visual story capturing what makes their BVW worlds exciting.
Building Virtual Worlds (1st-Year Course)
5105 – A Decent Farewell
VR
1 Player
This is a supernatural undertaker game that transitions from fear to warmth. The player takes on the role of an undertaker, dressing their client (a corpse). But there are correct choices. The player must choose the right items—otherwise, the client will cause disturbances. After the correct choices, the game shows the client cared about his attire because his wife had Alzheimer’s. Wearing the outfit in which he proposed to her helped her remember everything.
Team: Producer:Vivian Chen Artists: Quin Xu, Victor Lu, Programmers: Cyan Han, Linda Wang, Sound:Tony Liu, Vivian Chen
5305 – Build-A-Saurus
Adaptive Controllers, Arduino, Drawing Pad
2 Players
This is a 2-player experience where guests have to help build a dinosaur after the system malfunctions. There are two stations. The first station is a temperature-regulating station where the guest must keep the temperature within the green zone. The second station is the Drawing Pad Dropper Station; the guest has to keep an eye out for whether the pattern is correct or not. This experience is facilitated by two scientists running the experience.
Team: Producer/Sound: Vivian Chen; Artist: Jomin, Cayla;
Programmer: Tassi, Autumn
5321 – An Eye For Infection
Adaptive Controller
1 Player + Audience
As a Border Agent, it is your sacred duty to keep the infected out. You will perform invasive eye exams on patients to search for anomalies that will mark them as infected. You are the last line of defense. Don’t let weak emotions like guilt and sympathy guide you. The infected must be pacified.
Team: Producer/Designer: Oscar Mailman Programmers: Linda Wang, Tao Jin Artists: Ayman Kone, Jessica Li Sound: Liam Neely
5212 – MICDROP
VR
1 Player
Hold your horses, you’re not done here yet. I mean, c’mon, what’s the first rule of show business? You gotta leave them. Wanting. More. So wave at them, I don’t know, give them something, rile them up a little bit! Jeez.
Team: Producer: Rob Huang, Programmers: Rob Huang, Jerry Zhang, Artists: Erin Hao, Sudarshan Choudhari, Sounds: Martin Baker
5212 – Starfisher
Adaptive Controller
4 to 8 Players
Starfisher is a party game where players form teams of 2 to control a lantern fish and compete with other teams. The goal is to hook as many star jellyfish as possible, and they can interrupt or slow down the other teams by hooking their jellyfish or stunning them with a powerup.
Team: Producer/Sound: Ethan Wills, Nightray Zhou; Artist: Erin Hao, Ian Accetta; Programmer: Weiyi Zhang, Jiawei LI
5404 – Chaotic Traffic
Adaptive Controller
2 Players
A monster invaded the main river of the town, turned into a giant, and directed traffic to prevent people from falling into the water and becoming the monster’s dinner!
Team: Programmers: KX Shuai, Arthur Tang; Artists: Yuntao Wang, Aiden He; Sound / Producer: Zhimiao Sun
5404 – Hold It and Launch It!
Adaptive Controller, Phidgets
2 Players
A communication-driven puzzle game where two players, isolated from each other, must coordinate through pressure and chaos to fire a rocket into space, with one using a fully physical control console powered by Phidgets and the other using a visual manual filled with schematics.
Team: Producer: Yuelin Liu; Programmers: Alex Li, Henry Wang;
Artists: Aiden He, Ivy Hu; Sound Designer: Yuelin Liu
5404 – FOLDward
Adaptive Controller, Custom Interface
2 Players
Welcome to FOLDward squadron. As two Hangar Chiefs, you both need to fold the right type of aircraft using two adaptive control panels. Follow the on-screen steps to build the correct design, then launch to hit marked targets. Sync with your wing mate to chain hits and push through escalating waves. The air is crowded; cadence is everything. Eyes up. Hands steady. Own the pattern.
Team: Producer: Tony Liu; Programmers: Rob Huang, Zelin Chen; Artist: Jianwen Wu, Esther Jeon; Sound Designer: Tony Liu.
5404 – This Planet Sucks
Adaptive Controller, Eye tracker, Flight Joystick
2 Players
This planet sucks. But orders are orders—and there’s big money in collecting samples from this dump. One of you will use your eye control module to aim and activate the Time Freeze Beam, while the other is in charge of piloting the UFO—get close enough to suck up the targets while time is frozen. You’ve only got two minutes, good luck out there.
Team: Producer: Rob Huang; Programmers: Rob Huang, Jerry Wang; Artist: Agnes Zhang, Yuntao Wang; Sound Designer: Oulan Li
5404 – Merry Keystmas
Xbox Controller
4 Players
This is a snowman world inside a crystal ball. Seize the keys to escape the crystal ball!
Team: Producer/Sound: Vivian Chen; Programmers: Chufan Chen, Arthur Tang; Artists: Ivy Hu, Peter Cheng
5404 – Moooove It!!
Controllers, Keyboard
5 Players
Moooove It!! is a fast-paced, five-player party game about chasing and being chased. One player is the Mech Shark in the center of a circular desert arena, while the others are Cactus Cows roaming around to eat and grow. The Shark aims to milk every Cow for precious Cowctus juice and compete for a top spot on the Shark leaderboard. Meanwhile, Cows race to grow by eating NPC Cows, and the biggest Cow at the end wins. Grab some friends and enjoy this endlessly replayable game of chase.
Team: Christina Yin, Jingyan (Freida) Hong, Max Zhou, Quin Xu, Riya Kanani
5404 – Cyber HEMA
PS5 Controller
1-4 Players
Cyber HEMA is a multiplayer combat game that supports up to four players. Utilizing the PS5 controller and its gyroscope functionality, players engage in motion-based HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) duels. Set in a cyberspace environment, the player who defeats a set number of opponents first will emerge victorious.
Team: Programmers: Adeline Wu, Weiyi Zhang; Artists: Jason Jiang, Jessica Li; Sound Designer: David Song
5416 – Capybaras vs Granny
Xbox Controllers
4 Players
A 3v1 asymmetric chase game where 3 capybaras wielding different powers should work together to escape from a powerful wheelchair granny in a cozy retirement home. Sounds absurd? That’s the point! Come explore, battle, and have fun!
Team: Producer/Sound designer: Oulan Li; Programmers: KX Shuai, Andy Pang; Artists: Erin Hao, Alvin Li
5416 – Horsepital
Adaptive Controller, Custom Interface
1 Player
Horses love beauty too! As a novice “hoof stylist,” you truly understand their longing for elegance. However, only having a good technique isn’t enough—each horse has its own temperament and ‘horsonality’. During the grooming process, the right balance of pressure and speed is the key to success. Take care of every kind of horse, meet their unique requests, and become the ultimate Master of Hooves!
Team: Programmer: Max Zhou, Chufan Chen; Artists: Agnes Zhang, Ailun Zhou; Sound: Mingrui Xu; Producer: Agnes Zhang
5416 – The Escape March
Adaptive Controller
1 Player
Break free with your hammer, outrun Chiikawa, and use the thunder to hide your desperate rhythm!
Team: Producer/Sound:Sophia He; Programmers: Weiyi Zhang, Haru Zhu; Artists: Jomin Chen, Ivy Hu
5420 – Pookie Doggie
Xbox Controller, Joystick
4 Players
Pookie Doggie is a chaotic 2v2 party game where each team has one player firing the cannon and the other player playing the dog — dodge chocolate, eat cookies, and outscore the other team in two minutes!
Team: Producer/Sound :Gamma; Programmers: Arthur, Jiakun; Artists: Kelin, Agnes.
5420 – Signer and Mango
Adaptive Controller, Drawing Pad, Eye Tracker
2 Players
Signer & Mango is a two-player competitive game in which one player takes the role of a person who needs to sign documents and receive a food delivery, while the other plays a dog (named Mango) trying to steal and eat the owner’s meal. The game uses a drawing pad and adaptive controllers to provide an immersive experience. Will the dog successfully evade its owner’s watchful eyes and finish the expensive meal, or will the person complete the signing just in time to enjoy the feast? Or, perhaps, will something entirely unexpected happen? Everything is up to the players!
Team: Programmer：Zelin Chen, Jiakun Wu; Artist: Jessica Li, Aiden He; Sound: Mingrui Xu; Producer: Mingrui Xu
5420 – EggVenture
Adaptive Controller + Foot Pedals
4 Players
You and a friend play as a chicken carrying a basket of eggs, running with foot pedals and steering with buttons to dodge obstacles and get to the finish line before the other chicken.
Team: Producer/Sound: Gamma; Programmers: Minjung Park, Na Chen; Artists: Quin Xu, Ayman Kone
5420 – Robbits
Controllers, Eye Tracker
5 Players
This is a 4 v 1 game where Robbits are trying to steal from the ancient museum while an evil, mythical guard is trying to stop them by staring.
Team: Producer/Artist: Sapphire Ruan; Artist: Barry Yuan;
Sound Designer: Ethan Wills; Programmer: Minjung Park, Jerry Wang
Project Teams (2nd-Year Projects)
Elevator Lobby – Intergalactic Buttoneers
Phidgets, Touchscreen, RFID
The Intergalactic Buttoneers are exploring the potential of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center’s iconic 5th floor Space Bridge installation as a platform to deliver location-based experiences. Engaging with the unique opportunities that the Space Bridge provides in terms of designing and deploying location-based experiences in a live installation, we aim to develop our understanding of the production of location-based experiences by developing a series of prototypes that leverage the audiences and contexts present right here at the ETC.
Team: Derek Wong, Emily Zhang, Junru Yang, Nina Gamboni, Yifan Chen
Instructors: Ruth Comley, Dave Culyba