The following is a release from Lake Washington Institute of Technology:

Twenty-five students and recent graduates of Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWTech) will showcase eleven concept games (and one secret demo) in its booth (6702) at PAX Prime, one of the largest gaming events in the United States, Aug. 28-31, in downtown Seattle in the Washington State Convention Center. LWTech will also have information on-hand about its new Future Tech Stars Scholarship Program, which is funded through a grant awarded by the National Science Foundation.

The college will be awarding $125,000 a year in scholarships to approximately 25 full-time, low-income, non-traditional students in four Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines, totaling more than $500,000. Grant funding will support students who wish to enter information technology, software applications development, computer security and networking, multimedia design, or digital game development programs. Future Tech Stars will focus on students who might not otherwise be able to attend school because of financial difficulty or who might only be able to attend part-time due to financial constraints.

Students in the Multi Media Design and Production (MMDP) and Digital Gaming programs are able to learn and apply real-world, current skills that they can immediately take out into the workforce. LWTech’s Digital Gaming and Media Design program is unique in that it provides students the opportunity to collaborate on game development between different programs at the college. One example is the LWIT Plaque Buster game, which was created by MMDP and Gaming and Media students in collaboration with the Dental Hygiene program. The game play is match three Bejewelled-style aimed at three-to-seven year-olds to encourage healthy dental hygiene through fun gameplay.

Phil Trumbo, LWTech faculty member in the MMDP program says, “What impresses me most about graduates of LWTech Gaming program is their unique mix of innovation, determination and resourcefulness. I am constantly amazed by the artistic quality and conceptual originality of their projects and how they fearlessly tackle difficult transformative technology challenges, often while holding down full-time jobs.”

Games to be showcased at PAX Prime include: Nightlight Delivery- Steampunk-themed airship mail delivery adventure game; What’s Your Sign- Zodiac-themed dating game; Battle Rampage Card Game- Augmented reality projected gameplay with QR code cards; Demonfire Dungeon- Classic first-person action adventure fantasy game; Lorewin Expedition- Handheld Sci Fi strategy combat game; Lovecraft University- Monster dating sim in University setting; Grav leap- First-person physics challenge game; BIRD- Oculus Rift urban flying simulation; lumenites- Innovative evolution of  Breakout-style arcade physics puzzle game; Dreadlock- Classic stylized character adventure game; and Play Pretend- Multi-world kid’s role play game.

For information about LWTech’s MMDP and digital gaming and media programs visit http://www.lwtech.edu/explore_our_programs/multimedia_design_and_production/default.aspx