lecturefox

This is really cool: The GamecityLab of the Hamburg University of Applied Science and the Hamburg@work Initiative have recently acquired a CryEngine 2 license from the game development studio Crytek for teaching and research purposes. This game engine with which technology Crysis has developed will be used for interdisciplinary student projects, and bachelor and master studies in “Computer Media” , as well as studies in audio/video technology and production.

The CryEngine 2 is a software engine and toolkit used by game developers that allows creation of high definition 3D environments which can be generated and experienced in real-time on personal computer systems. Computer games that use this software show realistic virtual worlds with impressive real time effects. The licensing of this high end software application for students provides them with the opportunity to use current state of the art tools for game development, and gain valuable practical experience. The examination of this innovative technology should also result in the creation of totally new products. The main purpose is to instruct students in the use of this new future-proof technology, which includes learning the subjects of game programming and game design, and creating new products such as virtual reality based movies (machinima) or developing events with new content.

“The possibility of using the engine for research purposes allows the students to have a look at the production process of game development and analyzing and evaluating this from a scientific based point of view, and also looking forward to creating new prototypes. This cooperation between companies and educational institutions contributes to advancing Germany as a leader in game development technology, and also opens up new areas for educational research”, says Gunther Rehfeld, Professor for Digital editing, Graphics and Animation at the HAW Hamburg.