School Hosts Three-Day Electronic Arts Workshop

Faculty and staff worked closely with the videogame company, Electronic Arts (EA) for the past several weeks in preparing a three-day workshop on the theory and practice of storytelling, critiquing, project pitching, the principles of entertainment, the use of humor and fun, and Game Structure Team Design.

Sixteen senior EA producers and game developers from each of their worldwide studios participated in the programs.  Among the attendees were EA’s president Paul Lee and its chief creative executive Bing Gordon. 

The program was organized by Steve Seabolt, EA’s primary liaison with the Interactive Media Division.  Three CNTV faculty made presentations including Critical Studies professor Drew Casper on the core principles of entertainment, Production professor Jerry Isenberg on mastering the art of pitching a project, and Writing professor Jack Epps, Jr. who spoke and did an interactive session on storytelling. 

Other speakers included Rob Borden, the executive producer of the George Lopez Show, who spoke on comedy and humor. 

Participants trekked over to the Robert Zemeckis Center to meet with IMD’s chair Scott Fisher and assistant professor Tracy Fullerton, and saw a demonstration of the Interactive Media Division’s latest student projects. 

And, a screening of a new 35mm print of the comic masterpiece,  Sullivan's Travels, directed by Preston Sturges in 1941, which was critiqued the following morning.  

Two more workshops with different topics, but all related to videogame design and development, are planned later this year.