“Appalachian Mining Town” might center around an abandoned mining town in eastern Kentucky, but the video game recently developed by a team of Eastern Kentucky University students wasn’t forgotten by the E3 College Competition, which selected the product as just one of five finalists for the national event.
“This is an amazing honor!” EKU Gaming Institute Director Dr. George Landon exclaimed, noting that only one game is submitted for consideration from each of approximately 400 schools. It’s not the first national exposure for EKU’s game design program. Each of the last three years, it has ranked among the top 50 such programs worldwide, according to Princeton Review.
Developed by a team of 15 EKU students during a Spring 2018 course, Environment Design for Games, “Appalachian Mining Town” is a “walking simulator” inspired by the landscape, depot and mines of Blue Heron, Kentucky, in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in McCreary County. Players assume the role of a historical surveyor investigating the mines to determine why it was abandoned in the late 1800s. The player collects old journal entries to eventually learn that Black Lung was becoming a huge problem for the miners.
Members of the EKU team are: John Bentley, Jonathan Danaher, Jonathan Greer, Aaron Roark, Charles Tiemeyer, Lexington; Jonathan Baker, Lawrenceburg; Noah Bush, Winchester; Matthew Davisson, London; Lacey Lanshaw, Eubank; Jacob McNulty, Michael Rawlings, Frankfort; Peyton Kyle Nestmann, Charleston, West Virginia; Quentin Rader, Florence; James Roberts-Broaddus, Tyner; and Christian Smith, Sparta.
The Interactive Multimedia option within the baccalaureate degree in computer science at EKU develops students’ expertise in game design, 3-D modeling and animation, graphics programming, and multimedia systems. The Gaming Institute focuses on the design, development and publication of video games within an academic context. Graduates of the program receive a bachelor’s degree in computer science with a concentration in interactive media.
For more information about the EKU program, visit gaming.eku.edu.