 Digital Arts & Technology Learning Center announces the Urban Video Game Academy at E3. The newly formed private non-profit organization will use the video game development model to enhance math and science performance in school-age students across the US.
Los Angeles, CA, USA, May 20, 2005 -- Three
entrepreneurs announced today at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3),
the world's largest computer game expo, that they are channeling their passion
for technology and video game development into a new education initiative,
entitled “The Urban Video Game Academy™” (UVGA), that uses the components of
video game design and development to foster new pathways to learning in math,
art, and science for school-age students in underserved areas.
The UVGA is the brainchild of Joseph Saulter, professor of the game technology
curriculum at American Intercontinental University (AiU); Mario Armstrong, TV
and National Public Radio (NPR) digital technology guru; and Roderick Woodruff,
president and co-founder of AAGAMER.com.
The UVGA creates a bridge between the rigorous design, programming, and
development requirements of the game industry and the foundations for competency
in math and science. “The curriculum helps to demystify math and science for
urban school-age children by applying the subjects in the game development
environment. In addition to further studies in video game development, the
program helps these students prepare for engineering, computer science and
digital media studies,” says AiU Professor Joseph Saulter.
Saulter, who heads the academy’s curriculum development, says, ”We want our
students to embrace the foundations of geometry, physics, and creativity when we
apply them in the fun and interactive world of computer gaming.”
The UVGA is managed by a new private non-profit organization called the Digital
Arts & Technology Learning Center® (DATLC). The DATLC will provide an enhanced
technology preparatory curriculum for school-age children that will be made
available through partnerships and outreach in primarily underserved urban
communities. The UVGA will launch in the Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and
Atlanta, GA metro areas in June 2005 and will eventually be made available to
school systems, parks and recreation districts, churches, public housing
authorities, and other non-profit organizations throughout the U.S.
“Our plans are ambitious,” states Roderick Woodruff, who heads up marketing and
industry relations for DATLC. “We plan to provide new pathways to learning by
using video game design and development to engage students who are performing
below standards in math and science."
The video game industry acknowledges $38 billion in sales of software and
related hardware. Currently, game industry revenue is outpacing revenue for
movie studio productions and also for the music recording industry. “We know the
video game environment is a catalyst for creativity and experience," says Mario
Armstrong, who leads media and government relations as well as technology
research for DATLC. "When an inner city youth tells you of his aspirations of
becoming a programmer and wanting to learn the Japanese language, the UVGA will
help bridge that gap and create the opportunity for those dreams to become
reality.”
Roderick Woodruff is president and co-founder of AAGAMER, the two-year old
online news and information website developed for African-American video game
enthusiasts. He is joined by his wife, author Connie Briscoe, in a continuing
effort to promote awareness and opportunities for people of color in the video
game industry. http://www.aagamer.com
Mario Armstrong is the Technology Correspondent for NPR's "News and Notes with
Ed Gordon" and he is the host of "The Digital Spin" and "The Digital
Cafe"--heard on NPR stations WEAA-FM 88.9 and WYPR-FM 88.1, Baltimore, MD--a
weekly digest of the digital world with interviews and reviews of cutting edge
technology and how it affects our lives. Mario also develops community and
business technology programs as Baltimore City's Technology Advocate for Mayor
Martin O'Malley.
http://www.thedigitalspin.com
Joseph Saulter is the chairman of the Game Design and Development Department at
American Intercontinental University (AiU) and CEO of Entertainment Arts
Research, one of the first African-American owned 3-D video game companies in
the nation. Professor Saulter is also the chair of the International Game
Developers Association's Diversity Advisory Committee. http://www.ea-research.com
Contact:
Roderick Woodruff
AAGAMER
http://www.aagamer.com/
443-367-0023
News Source: PRWEB
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