VR course provides authentic experience for students, alum

Nine students in the University of North Georgia (UNG) Department of Visual Arts gained valuable virtual reality design experience this summer through an immersive virtual environments course.

In the class with David Clifton, senior lecturer of visual arts, they created a project that takes place in a starship lost in the abyss of deep space. Players can explore, interact and discover elements such as floating playthings, mysterious presences and ominous environments. Their project will soon be available for download on Steam, a digital distribution and gaming platform for worldwide use.

"The Scrambler" is a single working virtual environment which was completed over the course of five weeks with eight-hour to 10-hour workdays, including weekends.

"All assets were conceptualized, built, painted, and shaded by hand. Once completed, assets were then assembled in the environment with applied lighting. The students also programmed the game's functionality and implemented interactive elements," Clifton said.

Vanessa Miller, a recent graduate with a degree in digital art, came back to take Clifton’s class specifically because she described it as "important."

"It's really good for portfolio building. It’s high-intensity and very fast-paced," Miller said. "I thought that would be very good experience and help me make connections with other people who are serious about this type of work."

Miller also had time to create "cute-ify" stickers of test tube creatures that can be found on the ship.

Clifton said the class provides students with real-life employment experiences and work for their portfolio.

"It helps them find work by having them work in an environment that is very closely structured to an actual industry job in expectations and very quick deadlines. They must support a team while being dependent on the team at the same time," Clifton said. "They only have so much control over the project. They are expected to contribute to the final piece. Success or failure is for everyone."

The course included the opportunity to invite guests to partake of the virtual reality experience at the end of the summer.

Jennifer Graff, department head and professor of art, marveled at the quality of the students' work.

"The students in this class produced the most elaborate and complex project to date. It was truly amazing. They did so much work in such a short period of time," Graff said. "I was so pleased with how proud they were of their product and how eager they were for us all to experience it.”

Samson Larsen, a UNG spring graduate, attended the event to show support of his friend and experience the finished project. He earned a degree in history with a minor in anthropology. After having a chance to experience "The Scrambler," Larsen had nothing but praise, adding he was "very impressed" about the amount of work the students put into the project and how quickly they completed it.

"They put all the aspects together in the span of a month. That's crazy," he said. "It's a credit to the students at UNG that they're this skilled. It's great that the art department can give people the opportunity to work with this type of technology."