April 16, 2018 — The 4th annual Hudson Valley Games Conference will be held in the Lowell Thomas building at Marist College on Friday, April 20, 5:00-9:00pm. This event is free and open to the public. 

The conference brings together Marist undergraduate students who are majoring in Games and Emerging Media, a program that began at the College in 2016, as well as computer science, media studies and production, digital media, and communication majors. Professor Karen Schrier, Founder and Director of the program, said the event will offer visitors a chance to interact with budding game designers and try out their latest creations. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for gamers of all ages to get a glimpse into what the next generation of professionals is working on,” said Dr. Schrier. 

This year, student projects include: 

-Tilula’s Great Adventure, a 2-D sidescroller/platformer game, which was created by Kaitlyn (Kayy) Geer, Maya Davis, Vallie Joseph, Danielle Anderson, Camelia Moczydlowski, Billie Moczydlowski, Amy Moczydlowski, Chelsea Faye McGinnis.

-Demons, an augmented reality game by Kaitlyn (Kayy) Geer, Erina Caferra, John Monzo and Mike Deluca.

-Stagecraft Tycoon, a non-digital game about making stage sets, by Vallie Joseph, Thomas Crowell, and Chelsea Faye McGinnis.

-Nova, a retro space platformer, by Devin Di Domenico, Jacob Harper, Oliver Fountain, Edward William Marrs IV.

The Games and Emerging Media Program was recently named one of the top 50 such programs by the Princeton Review. Marist’s program is the only college-level games program in the Mid-Hudson Valley region and is an interdisciplinary effort shared between Marist’s School of Communication and the Arts and the School of Computer Science and Mathematics. It is one of the only games programs in the world at a highly-selective regional university. 

Dr. Schrier says visitors to the conference can check out new student games from 5:00-6:00pm during an open exhibition in the Lowell Thomas building’s first floor lobby. Formal presentations will begin at 6:15 pm in Lowell Thomas, room 019 (Screening Room), with students presenting work on the theme of “Games and Learning.” At 7:30 pm, a panel discussion featuring game developers from New York City companies, Arkadium, Killer Snails and Kognito, will take place in the Lowell Thomas building, room 019 (Screening Room). All events are free and open to the public.

About Marist 

Located on the banks of the historic Hudson River and at its Florence, Italy campus, Marist College is a comprehensive, independent institution grounded in the liberal arts. Its mission is to “help students develop the intellect, character, and skills required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century.” Marist is consistently recognized for excellence by The Princeton Review (Colleges That Create Futures and The Best 381 Colleges), U.S. News & World Report (9th Best Regional University/North), Kiplinger’s Personal Finance (“Best College Values”), and others. Marist educates approximately 5,000 traditional-age undergraduate students and 1,400 adult and graduate students in 47 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate programs, including fully online MBA, MPA, MS, and MA degrees. www.marist.edu