CPCC Game Development Team Wins Microsoft’s U.S. Imagine Cup competition

last modified May 18, 2010 02:48 PM

 

For the second year in a row, CPCC's Simulation and Game Development students have taken top honors at Microsoft's Imagine Cup. On April 26, CPCC's team won the Grand Prize at the Imagine Cup's U.S. Competition in Washington, D.C., beating teams from such respected institutions as Yale University, the University of Southern California, the University of Houston and the University of California. 
 
From April 23-26, students across the country came together in Washington, D.C. to celebrate their creativity and passion for solving the world's toughest problems using technology. These students were part of the eighth annual U.S. Imagine Cup, the world's premier student technology competition sponsored by Microsoft Corp.
 
"Imagine Cup is more than a software competition; it's about inspiring students to become tomorrow's technology and business leaders," said Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft. "The technology industry not only is a key driver of economic growth and job creation, but also offers vast potential to solve some of the world's toughest societal problems. The creativity and passion of these students speaks volumes about the impact they will have on the world."
 
More than 22,000 students registered for this year's U.S. competition; only 80 were selected by a panel of judges to compete in the U.S. finals. The participants were tasked to use technology to make a difference in the lives of people in their local communities and around the world, addressing issues in education, healthcare and environmental sustainability. Projects ranged from a mobile safety alert system for women to a social-networking application that connects entrepreneurs to investors in the micro-banking industry.
 
Farhad Javidi is the creator and chair of CPCC’s Simulation and Game Development division. CPCC was the first public college or university in nation to offer the Associate in Applied Science Degree in Simulation and Game Development. Javidi’s team from CPCC won the Game Design division with their game called "Sixth,” which is a reference to the fact that a sixth of the world’s people live in poverty. The game involves a series of quest challenges related to ending poverty around the world, including simulating a poor child in India who has to overcome challenges to bring water back to his family.
 
Academy Award®-winning director James Cameron spoke to the participants at the Imagine Cup and met the CPCC team members, while learning more about their winning game. Cameron said the CPCC team’s game "triggers a compassionate response and a call for action.”
 
The Game Design competition is a chance for students to create their own video game and at the same time help change the global community. Students are asked to create a new game that has been developed either using Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 or later, Microsoft Visual Studio, or Microsoft Silverlight technologies.
 
Grand Prize: Central Piedmont Community College
      Team: Will Isenhour, Nic Colley, Jonathan Mead and Danny Helms
 
First Prize: Yale University
      Team: Coffee Powered Altruism
Second Prize: University of Houston
      Team: Ifrit Salsa
Third Prize: University of Houston
      Team: LeveL13
 
 
PHOTO AVAILABLE: CPCC team member, Nic Colley; Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Craig Mundie; chair of CPCC’s Simulation and Game Development division, Farhad Javidi; Academy Award®-winning director James Cameron; Outreach Representative from the U.S. Senate, Matt Berry.
 
 To learn more about CPCC’s Simulation and Game Development program, please visit www.cpcc.edu/sgd. To view the video from the Imagine Cup, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/imaginecup/us/videoGallery.aspx?contentID=usic10_broll. For a photo of the winning teams, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/press/2010/04-26imaginecupus-winners_lg.jpg and for more photos from the Imagine Cup weekend, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/imaginecup/us/imagegallery.aspx.
 
Central Piedmont Community College is the largest community college in North Carolina, offering close to 300 degree and certification programs, customized corporate training, market-focused continuing education, and special interest classes. CPCC is academically, financially and geographically accessible to all citizens of Mecklenburg County. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the Community College of the Year for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educational and training strategies.
 
-30-

This release prepared by Kathy Scott Rummage, 704.330.6962. An archive of CPCC news releases is at http://www.cpcc.edu/college-news.