An Afternoon of Hands On Gaming

Second week into the Anime, Manga, and Gaming program brought about a really fun afternoon to explore gaming from a hands on perspective. The first week students learned all about games--their structure, their purpose, their way of inspiring emotions and telling stories, and the way people interface with them. So this week we brought the students to TOKYO RED and interactive gaming center with over 25 different games. They ranged from first person shooter games to computer strategy games to VR reproductions of classic games such as tag, jump rope, dodgeball, racing etc. The students had a really fun time pairing off with friends and getting a direct experience to how current technology is used in games to inspire joy and wonder. Wolfgang jumped so high on the VR trampoline that even the workers were impressed. Tom drove the VR NASCAR so smoothly that he seemed like a pro. Tyron took on Anna in a classic arcade game with a modern twist.

In between games students took breaks, ate some ice cream, reveled in the mystery of how these kinds of games were created. Some students even talked about how they would improve some of the games here to make it their own. "I think I would have a setting on this [VR rock wall] so that it could be accessible for people who can't jump for what ever reason" Naya said. All in all the experience at TOKYO RED provided students a chance to experience what gaming currently has to offer