Page
      14
      October
      2008
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ENTERTAINMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      B.C.
      students
     
     
      launch
      video
     
    
   
   
    
     
      game
     
     
      muSIC
     
    
   
   
    
     
      about
     
     
      scene
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Class
      project
      allows
      gamers
      to
      virtual-
     
     
      ly
      scout
      and
      sign
      bands
     
     
      to
      indie
      label
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Canadian
      University
     
     
      Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LANGLEY
      (CUP)
      —
      Label:
     
     
      Rise
      of
      Band
      was
      one
      group
     
     
      project
      that
      could
      not
      be
     
     
      thrown
      together
      in
      the
      wee
     
     
      hours
      of
      the
      morning
      it
      was
     
     
      due.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      summer
      2007,
     
     
      Trinity
      Western
      University
     
     
      professors
      Kevin
      Schut
      and
     
     
      Alma
      _
      Barranco-Mendoza
     
     
      have
      been
      working
      with
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      from
      a
      range
      of
      disci-
     
     
      plines
      to
      conceptualize
      and
     
     
      create
      Label:
      Rise
      of
      Band,
      a
     
     
      turn-based
      strategy
      comput-
     
     
      er
      game.
     
    

    
     
      The
      game
      allows
      players,
     
     
      who
      are
      heads
      of
      an
      inde-
     
     
      pendent
      music
      label,
      to
     
     
      scout
      and
      sign
      bands
      to
     
     
      reclaim
      the
      city’s
      music
     
     
      scene
      from
      The
      Corporation,
     
     
      which
      dictates
      the
      industry.
     
    

    
     
      Launched
      on
      June
      26,
      the
     
     
      game
      is
      available
      for
      free
     
     
      download
      at
      www.
      labelrise-
     
     
      ofband.com.
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      launch,
      each
      of
     
     
      the
      24
      Trinity
      Western
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      who
      produced
      the
     
     
      game
      received
      a
      certificate
     
     
      in
      game
      development
      foun-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dations.
     
    

    
     
      For
      the
      students,
      however,
     
     
      the
      project
      was
      about
      more
     
     
      than
      earning
      credits
      —
      it
      was
     
     
      an
      opportunity
      to
      gain
      a
      real-
     
     
      istic
      perspective
      on
      the
      chal-
     
     
      lenges
      and
      opportunities
     
     
      within
      the
      larger,
      corporate
     
     
      setting
      of
      visual
      game
      devel-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      opment.
     
     
      Winston
      Ewert,
      a
      fourth-
     
     
      year
      computer
      sciences
     
    
   
   
    
     
      major
      who
      acted
      as
      the
      head
     
     
      of
      the
      programming
      team,
     
     
      says
      he
      was
      able
      to
      use
      his
     
     
      programming
      skills
      in
      a
      set-
     
     
      ting
      not
      previously
      offered
     
     
      in
      any
      of
      his
      other
      classes.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      was
      fun
      to
      work
      on
      a
     
     
      project
      of
      that
      scope,”
      he
     
     
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Schut
      praised
      called
      the
     
     
      product
      a
      “massive
      achieve-
     
     
      ment”
      and
      “really
      over-the-
     
     
      top
      good,”
      particularly
      when
     
     
      considering
      that
      no
      one
      on
     
     
      the
      team
      had
      undertaken
      a
     
     
      project
      like
      it
      before.
     
    

    
     
      Although
      the
      completed
     
     
      product
      exceeded
      many
      of
     
     
      the
      group’s
      initial
      expecta-
     
     
      tions,
      there
      is
      consensus
      that
     
     
      Label:
      Rise
      of
      Band
      can
      be
     
     
      improved.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      think
      the
      quality
      of
      the
     
     
      program
      is
      superior
      to
      what
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Mays’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      an
      evil
      force
      which
      trans-
     
     
      forms
      him
      into
      a
      ravenous
     
     
      werewolf.
      In
      his
      humanoid
     
     
      state
      fellow
      bandmembers
     
     
      notice
      Mays'
      peculiar
      behav-
     
     
      iour
      but
      remain
      defenceless
     
     
      as
      a
      Hyde-like
      alter
      ego
     
     
      emerges
      anathematizing
      his
     
     
      comrades.
     
    

    
     
      The
      final
      scene
      leaves
     
     
      room
      for
      an_
      inevitable
     
     
      sequel
      but
      you
      can
      view
      this
     
     
      cinematic
      gem
      on
      the
      Matt
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
      had
      expected
      in
      the
     
     
      beginning,”
      said
      Barranco-
     
     
      Mendoza.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      has
      a
      good
      infrastruc-
     
     
      ture,
      but
      the
      [artificial
      intel-
     
     
      ligence]
      is
      not
      particularly
     
     
      challenging.”
     
    

    
     
      This
      fall;
      Barranco-
     
     
      Mendoza’s
      artificial
      intelli-
     
     
      gence
      class
      will
      be
      working
     
     
      to
      improve
      the
      balance
      of
     
     
      the
      game
      so
      the
      artificial
     
     
      opponents
      offer
      gamers
      fair,
     
     
      but
      more
      challenging,
      play.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
      page
      10
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mays
      and
      El
      Torpedo
      web-
     
     
      site
      or
      Youtube.
     
    

    
     
      This
      wasn't
      Mays'
      first
     
     
      foray
      into
      the
      world
      of
      film
     
     
      A
      Dartmouth
      Werewolf
      in
     
     
      Dover
      was
      a
      project
      com-
     
     
      piled
      out
      of
      pure
      enjoyment
     
     
      and
      no
      intentions
      yet
      was
     
     
      featured
      recently
      at
      the
     
     
      Atlantic
      Film
      Festival
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Halifax.
     
     
      Although
      the
      film
      didn't
     
     
      garner
      any
      rewards
      Patil
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Barranco-Mendoza
      and
     
     
      Schut
      are
      also
      each
      working
     
     
      with
      students
      through
      direct-
     
     
      ed
      studies
      to
      implement
      new
     
     
      features
      and
      explore
      the
      pos-
     
     
      sibilities
      for
      e-commerce.
     
    

    
     
      Following
      these
      modifica-
     
     
      tions,
      the
      group
      plans
      to
     
     
      market
      an
      updated
      version
     
     
      of
      the
      game.
     
    

    
     
      Due
      to
      the
      success
      of
      this
     
     
      pilot
      project
      there
      are
      plans
     
     
      to
      offer
      the
      course
      every
     
     
      other
      year.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      muses
      the
      band
      “Hopes
      to
     
     
      do
      more
      things
      like
      it”
      as
     
     
      they
      “use
      the
      internet
      to
     
     
      show
      off
      cheesily
      charming
     
     
      acting
      skills.”
      This
      Mays
     
     
      and
      El
      Torpedo
      original
      may
     
     
      be
      the
      last
      you
      see
      of
      the
     
     
      band
      for
      awhile
      as
      they
     
     
      vacate
      the
      east
      coast
      for
      their
     
     
      first
      headlining
      American
     
     
      tour
      but
      keep
      an
      eye
      and
      ear
     
     
      out
      for
      their
      subsequent
      sin-
     
     
      gle
      Building
      A
      Boat.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Matt
      Mays
      plays
      at
      his
      September
      concert
      at
      the
      Wave.
      Cadre
      Photo
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      students
      may
      not
      be
     
     
      thinking
      ahead
      to
      the
      cours-
     
     
      es
      they
      will
      take
      in
      the
      2009-
     
     
      10
      school
      year,
      Schut
      recog-
     
     
      nizes
      the
      importance
      of
      cre-
     
     
      ating
      excitement
      early
      on:
     
     
      “We
      need
      people
      to
      be
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      in
      this.”
     
    

    
     
      And,
      like
      Ewert,
      students
     
     
      do
      not
      have
      to
      play
      comput-
     
     
      er
      games
      to
      find
      an
      opportu-
     
     
      nity
      like
      this
      appealing.
     
    

    
     
      “T’m
      not
      much
      of
      a
      gamer,”
     
     
      he
      said.