Walking into the WVU Media Innovation Center on Saturday, April 1, was like walking
into a techie’s dream. Attendees of the Indie Games Showcase were testing out locally
made video games, experiencing virtual reality and wowing each other with game
development ideas.
This inaugural event was hosted by MonRiverGames, a nonprofit founded by WVU Reed
College of Media Teaching Assistant Professor Heather Cole. MonRiverGames values
“games for good” — creating meaningful and purposeful games — and aims to provide
enriching and professional experiences within game design and the arts for both
students and members of the community. This mission was the inspiration for hosting
the showcase.
Reed College of Media students in Adjunct Instructor Chuck Harman’s capstone class
have been developing campaigns for their client, the National D-Day Memorial. During
spring break, they traveled to France to see first-hand the places allied soldiers
landed during D-Day in World War II.
“It was a remarkable experience to see the soil where we had fought almost 80 years
ago,” said Parker Roberts, a member of the West Virginia Army National Guard and
a cadet in the WVU Army ROTC program. “This capstone course was very intriguing to
me with my military background. The most memorable thing was walking on both Omaha
and Utah Beaches. It gave me chills to know that I stepped foot where thousands
of brave heroes sacrificed their lives.”
West Virginia University Reed College of Media senior Bailee Tucker and the “WVU
News” team each won a Gracie Award from The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.
The awards will be presented June 20 in New York City.
Since 1971, the Gracie Awards have celebrated “outstanding programming and individual
achievement created by women, for women and about women in all facets of media
in news and entertainment.” Each year, a team of industry professionals judge submissions
from national and local media professionals in television, radio and digital media.
