UCF gamers win MTV's HIV challenge

A group of students from UCF's video game graduate program have won an MTV gaming contest centered around the 19th annual World AIDS DAY.

MTVU, MTV's 24-hour college network, and the Kaiser Family Foundation sponsored the competition, which asked college students to propose a Web-based video game concept to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among 15-24 year olds.

Created at UCF's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) as a fourth-semester project in March 2007, “The Face of AIDS” game was developed within one month by a team of five FIEA students (designers Brendan McLeod and Matthew Laurence, programmers Chris Camilleri and Gabriel Montagne, and artist Chip Lundell).

The game is a fast-paced puzzle game designed to raise AIDS awareness while remaining fun and engaging. In it, players must help communities of ever-increasing size stop the spread of AIDS as well as quell the fear and ignorance that rises with it.

The students get a $5,000 first place prize, and the game will be released in early 2008.

Comments

[Lia]

I'm so happy for these folks. It's amazing the brilliant minds that are coming out of FIEA. I expect to see a lot of great programmers, designers and artists coming out of the school.

Congrats!