Five designers from the Maritime provinces built their own video game at the Atlantic Technology Centre this summer with help from the Interactive Media Alliance, which was unveiled recently at the Holland College Tourism and Culinary Centre.
Nicholas McKinnon, Glace Bay, N.S., Neil Power, Riverview, N.B., RÉal Cloutier, St. Louis, N.B., Tim Murray, St. George, N.B., and Curtis Rioux, Plaster Rock, N.B., built the game Kingdom of Gnester at the tech centre in four months in a video game incubator hosted by the IMA in the summer.
John Eden, president of the IMA, said the group is looking to do a post mortem report on the incubator.
"It was a very positive project,'' he said.
Eden said an incubator is an area where young companies can grow just like an egg incubator. He said the project supplied the five participants of the program with the necessary software and computers in the incubator so they could design Kingdom of Gnester.
Nicholas McKinnon, 28, was the designer and producer of Kingdom of Gnester. He designed the game with Cloutier and Power.
"We were really happy to have the chance to work on it.''
They sent a proposal to the IMA and were selected to work with Murray and Rioux who were chosen from their submitted art, said McKinnon.
The game is about a gnome prince named Gnester who has to go out and carve his own kingdom while using a cube given to him by his father to beat puzzles.
McKinnon said Kingdom of Gnester is a combination between a puzzle game similar to Bejeweled, a popular online game, and a scrolling platform game, like Super Mario Bros.
The puzzle part of the game is in the upper left-hand corner and gamers must do the puzzles to get powers, like jumping, in the scrolling part of the screen, said McKinnon. In the other part of the game gamers have to go through the different levels, like the kingdom, a forest and a haunted level, and beat a boss character at the end of each level.
McKinnon said it was challenging to make the puzzle easy enough to do while doing the platform part. He describes the creation as "one of those casual addicting games.''
He would have liked to see the game made for the Nintendo DS or the Apple iPhone, however due to licensing being difficult to obtain they made it for the computer, said McKinnon.
Kingdom opens new world for Maritime students
Kingdom opens new world for Maritime students
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Comments
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- Keith
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:25:47
Way to go fellas. Nice to see some good work coming out of this sector on the East Coast. If it can be on on the Left coast, why not here?
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- Shawna
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:23:53
Congrats Nick and the rest of the guys! Here I thought u were just good at fixing my computer lol We're all proud of ya ;) Now you can tell Jaidyn you made the video game she's playing lol Best of Luck !
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- Curtis
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:21:26
I was an artist on this project, not a programmer haha.
Very great working experience and i would suggest anyone interested to apply for this next year.
My art improved and my skills in the programs we used improved as well. I now have a full time job in the business of video games because of the Game Garage. -
- Denise
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:21:19
Great news Real!!! I'm sure you've put a lot of work into this project, job well done! You're nieces are looking foward to playing your game!!!
Your Sister Denise -
- Beach Boy
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:16:51
At least it was made on the Island.
Good work, guys. -
- robert
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:57:56
would like to congras to the 5 men who took there hard time. to make the game. espacially 2 for sure. like Real for not seeing his wife and son much and for NIck for not seeing his girlfriend and daughter much. for the rest of the guys i don't know you's much. but like i said to all of u. congras on your hard work.
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- Denise
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:55:31
Great news Real!!! I'm sure you've put a lot of work into this project, job well done! You're nieces are looking foward to playing your game!!!
Your Sister Denise -
- Yves
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:51:39
Congratulations gang... especially Real. I can`t wait to try out your new acheivement.
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- rose-marie
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:50:06
congratulations to all of you. But specially to are son Real.Mom &Dad.love you.
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- April
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:46:27
Very proud of you guys....especially my husband Real Cloutier. Way ta-go boys...job well done!!!
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- Lucille
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:41:49
Way to go Real, congratulations to all the creators, I'm very proud of you. The family wishes you the very best of luck with this game and look forward to playing it!
Best wishes,
Aunt Lucille
