Students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout will showcase their work at several public events marking the end of the fall semester. The Stout Game Expo (SGX), which is considered western Wisconsin’s largest event for game developers, will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall.
The expo features about 250 students presenting a variety of games they have developed. These include tabletop games, 3D racing experiences, multiplayer competitions, and digital projects created by students from first-year to senior levels in game design and development-art programs, as well as those studying computer science with a game design concentration and M.F.A. in design students. Digital versions of these games will be available online after Dec. 10.
Courses led by instructors Karl Koehle and Michael Tetzlaff encouraged students to explore unique gaming experiences using alternate controllers for their projects. Some highlighted games include:
– AES-RACE: A cooperative four-player racing game inspired by Aesop’s fable “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
– Hazard Hotel: A single-player puzzle set in a haunted hotel.
– Retro Repair: An augmented reality experience focused on repairing gaming consoles in a futuristic workshop.
– Clean Break!: A two-player game featuring a dinner plate trying to reach a dishwasher while being chased.
– Stars & Spurs: An adventure where players draw shapes to control characters.
Koehle said, “Michael and I had a collaborative teaching effort. Our classes were scheduled to meet during the same time, allowing us to provide critique and insights to each other’s teams and assist students based on our own disciplines throughout the semester.”
The decision to focus on unique gaming interfaces was influenced by exhibits seen at an international conference for game developers.
Other events this week include the STEMM Student Expo on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 1 to 3 p.m., also at the Memorial Student Center Great Hall and ballrooms. More than 300 STEMM students will present over 100 research projects across various fields; this event is coordinated by the Hospitality Convention/Meeting Planning class.
On Friday, Dec. 12, more than 100 seniors from UW-Stout’s School of Art & Design will display capstone projects during an evening Senior Show in Applied Arts and Micheels Hall.
One featured project at SGX is AES-RACE. Students built custom steering controllers using wood, PVC pipes, microcontrollers, and sensors for this racing game where players compete as turtles or rabbits in three-wheel vehicles through five themed levels. Team members included artists Odessa Barreyro (who proposed the idea), KC Caron, Jess Haapoja; programmers Jack Decker and Max Mike; with audio collaboration from Berklee College of Music students.
Hazard Hotel features an interface resembling an old-fashioned switchboard designed by Zak Suhajda for controlling elements within a haunted hotel environment—a concept that came out of his experimentation with Arduino controllers. Suhajda explained his motivation: “I wanted to create something simple, something that my dad would like to play.” Artists Ben Musser, Antonio Garcia, Gregg Hammel contributed visual assets; programming was handled by Donovan Hecimovich, Thomas Stolz and Sam Schreiter.
Chloe Ferguson led development on Retro Repair as part of her M.F.A., focusing on themes related to consumer rights regarding product repairs—known as “Right to Repair.” Ferguson described teamwork among developers Connor Donnelly and Alex Lietha: “This is a collaborative process, a project based on teamwork,” she said. Donnelly added that personal frustrations with proprietary devices informed their approach: “We can help make things more accessible.”
Additional student teams worked on Stars & Spurs (artists Sam Kiewel, Seth Shaw, Jackson Hinshaw; programmers Kara Defoe et al.) and Clean Break! (artists Justin Bonelli et al.; programmers Jack Belcher et al.).
UW-Stout provides facilities such as motion capture studios along with labs dedicated to animation and digital media production.
The School of Art & Design offers degrees across multiple creative disciplines including animation/digital media; graphic design; illustration; industrial/product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration/entrepreneurship; fashion design/development; video production—and recently introduced a program in game/media studies.
UW-Stout identifies itself as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University with emphasis on applied learning methods connected closely with business partnerships aimed at career readiness.
