Imagine RIT 2011

This waterfall was just one element in the landscape that formed the backdrop for a gesture-controlled, live-action game.

For decades, computer scientists and interface developers have created ever more complex, hyper-detailed virtual gaming environments.

This exhibit takes that hyper-reality to a new level: super-reality. Mathematically rendered pixels and hexagonal planes have been replaced by physically sculpted latex balloons to build an actual fantasy gaming environment; a fly-thru airscape.

No longer hindered by keyboard or tangible remote controllers, players use natural flying gestures to control a physical avatar and experience the jungle airscape from the point of view of a butterfly. Every journey is unique and unscripted.

Creating an actual world allows us to tap into a wealth of analog physical data that doesn’t need to be measured, calculated and recreated– just simply enjoyed.

Lead Artists
Larry Moss & Kelly Cheatle

Lead Tech
Sanket Gohil, Sakif Noor, Forrest Marvez

Faculty Advisors
Jon Schull, Carl Lundgren

Crew
Walter Crum, Phil Murray, Jan Spagnola, Mary Ann Jakubowicz, Lois Sprague

Volunteers
Elisabet Arnesen, Alex Habermann, Jonathan Schnapp, Mark Henry, Britney Matthews, Stephen Robb, Lauren Krivos, Michelle Mason, Richie Worden, Matthew Ferragamo, Kaitlyn McNeil, Megan McAnn, Le Nguyen, Christopher Kaczmarek, Raiden Dolan, Jennifer Mori, Susan Aser

Equipment used
Parrot AR.Drone, Microsoft Kinect