NEWS

Berg, School of Design showcase work at Tiny Con 3

Feb 2, 2023 | Design, Faculty/Staff, General News, Liberal Arts

Louisiana Tech Associate Professor of Design Jerry Berg II and three students minoring in Game Design — Kristina Martinez, Thien Vu, and Trevor Taylor — recently participated in Tiny Con 3, an indie game development event, hosted by the Society of Play in Dallas.

Berg, an Art in Science Fellow, showcased his VR game prototype, “Extreme Bowling,” at the event. Berg has been working on “Extreme Bowling” for the past several months and was selected as one of 20 indie game developers to show his work at the exclusive event. This fast-paced and immersive VR experience puts players in a cyber city environment, and the game uses a combination of mechanics for mini-golf, bowling, and pinball to complete each level.

Events like Tiny Con allow students to make networking connections within the game design industry and talk to developers, which helps to provide insight into the game creation process as well as experience the games presented.

Tech graduate Sara Chmielewski, who lives in Dallas and is pursuing a career in the game industry, attended with the Tech group.

Berg also hosted a Game Design workshop in the eSports Center on campus for Ruston High School students involved in the school’s Game Gurus club coordinated by RHS algebra teacher Matt MacDaniels. The event informed the students but also helped spotlight Tech as a place to learn game design and hopefully attract future students to the University’s game design minor.

At the workshop, Berg taught students the basics of using the Unity game engine, as well as the fundamental principles of game design and basic logic needed to build a simple game, first steps for students interested in pursuing a career in the gaming industry.