Create a St. Croix River Video Game at Artist Workshop

Learn how to create an interactive computer version of the St. Croix Valley on June 18th.

By

/

/

2 minute read

Dave Beck
Dave Beck

Join Artist at Pine Needles resident artist Dave Beck for a unique opportunity to create your own version of the St. Croix River Valley in a playable video game. This workshop will be presented Wednesday, June 18 from 1 to 4 p.m.  The workshop will be held in the Computer Lab at Marine Elementary School, 550 Pine Street, Marine on St. Croix.

Dave describes his workshop:

“In my workshop, we will learn about and discuss the various natural aspects of the St. Croix River Valley.  Then, we will learn about what goes into designing video games and how to use 3D game engines.  After combining your knowledge of the surrounding natural area and game design, you will be able to create a simple, explorable version of the St. Croix River Valley that you can take home to play on your own computer!”

The three-hour workshop is open to ages 13 and up and is limited to 28 participants.  It is highly recommended that participants already have an established knowledge of working with computers (i.e., using various software programs, web browsers, image editing programs, etc.)

Dave Beck

Dave Beck is a practicing 3D digital and new media artist, living in Wisconsin.  He is the recipient of the 2010 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge Award, given by the National Science Foundation.  Beck’s artwork has been featured in publications such as the New York TimesSculpture Magazine, National Geographic, the journal Science, and the book GameScenes: Art in the Age of Videogames.  You can view his work at www.davebeck.org.

To Register:

Contact the Research Station at 651-433-5953 ext. 10 or 13, or email researchstation@smm.org before June 12. There is no fee.

Please be ready to provide your level of computer experience (1-5, 1 being no experience and 5 being very experienced) and your age group (13-20; 20-40; over 40) when registering. Also, in order to use the software, participants will need to check and access their personal email via the computer’s web browser during the workshop. If you do not have an email address, you can create one for free on www.gmail.com.

This workshop is presented by the St. Croix Watershed Research Station as part of its Artist at Pine Needles residency program. The Artist at Pine Needles program invites natural history artists or writers to spend 2 to 4 weeks in residence to immerse themselves in a field experience, gather resource materials, and interact with environmental scientists and the local community.

Previous Work:

Beck created the following video pieces while an artist-in-residence at Pine Needles in 2010: