Professor lectures on the changing virtual world

Students and potential game designers met on Sept. 12 at the IUPUI campus to hear Lee Sheldon, Indiana University's assistant professor of telecommunications, talk about video games and virtual worlds.

The video game industry is booming and there is a need for new and fresh ideas from college students entering the field. They are asking for more than just computer programmers, they want skilled people ranging from researchers to artists.

Sheldon is an excellent game designer who has developed 18 different video games, but his expertise in writing makes him more impressive.

"People think you can do the game play and slap a story onto it," Sheldon said. "The thing that I teach in my classes is that you have to build both of them together. If you're going to have story in your game, it has to be treated with equal respect to the game play."

With the concerns for the number of hours spent on video games and with the high obesity rate in this country, it's a wonder why people want more of the games that are keeping them inactive.

There are new ways to get people physically engaged while playing video games. Anyone who has played Nintendo Wii knows of the physical participation that is required.

Indiana University in Bloomington has integrated into the classroom an alternative reality game (ARG) that promotes physical activity. The class is P105 and the lab portion is dedicated to getting people active without them really thinking about the work of becoming in shape.

"Alternate reality games occur in the real world," Sheldon said. "The idea of an ARG is to make people think it could really be happening."

Every student enrolled in the class gets a wireless transmitter that snaps onto their shoes and works like a pedometer. Each step is uploaded to the Internet and students need to complete a set number of steps each day.

"The bottom line on this particular game is to engage students and make them fitter without them really noticing it," Sheldon said.

Sheldon is currently developing a video game called “Londontown.” This game breaks away from the traditional linear game storytelling and has moved to modular storytelling. “Londontown” will be a narrative virtual world where, as Sheldon put it, "the story is responsive to the players".

The team that is working on “Londontown” is expected to grow from 20 people to a team of 40 this year. People with a variety of skills may be considered for positions.

The virtual world is changing. No longer are video games just for entertainment, but also for education. No longer do video games lack physical inactivity, but now they promote people to move from their seats.