Serious game and simulation developer Designing Digitally, Inc. will use HTML5 and the Unity Development Platform to design serious gaming to teach and expose students to home assessment skills which are difficult to teach in traditional classroom formats.
Franklin, OH June 21, 2013 – Designing Digitally, Inc., a full-service interactive design company, has partnered with Rutgers University (formerly The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) to create an interactive serious game utilizing the award-winning Unity3D development platform that will allow learners to edit virtual homes to be barrier free. Rutgers Professor Dr. Karen Huhn is spearheading this effort in collaboration with the team at Designing Digitally, Inc. When talking about this effort, Dr. Huhn stated, “This serious game will provide the opportunity to practice a skill (home assessment) in several simulated environments in a fun, interactive manner.”
This effort will allow students to interact with elements within virtual homes so they can be converted into barrier free living spaces. The learners will be able to walk throughout the virtual homes and select features of the home that need to be remodeled to be fully accessible. For instance, in some of the homes learners will be able to change the height of the countertops or even change the width of the doorways to accommodate a person who uses a wheelchair.
Andrew Hughes, President of Designing Digitally, Inc., indicated that they “...partnered to create this serious game because it is a skill that is difficult to teach in traditional classroom format. Using 3D gaming allows us to simulate multiple home environments in real time and allows the learner to test his or her strategy in a safe, cost effective way that could not be done in the traditional classroom setting.”
Once completed, the 3D serious game will be available for purchase from OpenSesame for integration into school's learning management systems. The game will be available sometime during the fall of 2013.
About Designing Digitally, Inc.:
Designing Digitally, Inc. is a full-service interactive design firm and serious game developer. Located in Franklin, Ohio, Designing Digitally, Inc. has developed a number of serious games and simulations, virtual worlds, and E-Learning solutions for companies around the country and the globe. Designing Digitally Inc.’s overall goal is to add value to the clients that they serve by creating engaging, educational, and entertaining learning solutions.
Contact:
Andrew Hughes
Designing Digitally, Inc.
513.698.8142
http://www.designingdigitally.com
About Rutgers (Formerly UMDNJ):
Rutgers University is a leading national public research university and the state’s preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education. Rutgers is dedicated to teaching that meets the highest standards of excellence; to conducting research that breaks new ground; and to turning knowledge into solutions for local, national, and global communities.
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) is the health care education, research, and clinical division of Rutgers University, comprising nine schools and their attendant faculty practices, centers, institutes, and clinics; New Jersey’s leading comprehensive cancer care center; and New Jersey's largest behavioral health care network.