Computer Game Technology

Boris Willis Is Helping Students Rethink What a Career in Game Design Can Be

Lakin Raybuck — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 17:13:22 +0000

Boris Willis Is Helping Students Rethink What a Career in Game Design Can Be Lakin Raybuck Mon, 06/02/2025 - 13:13

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For Boris Willis, the future of games has always been bigger than pixels and code. Long before the rise of virtual production and interactive storytelling, Willis was blending technology, dance, and design into new forms of creative expression.

Now, as an Associate Professor at �鶹��Ƶ, he's helping students rethink what a career in game design and creativity can look like.

Boris Willis of �鶹��Ƶ Computer Game Design. Photo credit: Tiffany Richardson

For a long time, those interests lived separately. But over the years, Willis began weaving them together, exploring how technology and the body could speak to each other. Today, as an Associate Professor in �鶹��Ƶ's Computer Game Design Program, Willis helps students see game design as something much larger than entertainment or technology. It becomes a way to tell stories, build worlds, and imagine futures.

"I've always been drawn to the intersection of the physical and the imaginative," Willis says.

That intersection defines everything Willis brings into the classroom. Before arriving at George �鶹��Ƶ, Willis spent years pushing creative boundaries: collaborating on projects that translated dance notation into computer animation, developing live performances enhanced by motion capture, and designing interactive experiences where audiences shaped the outcome of a story. This was long before the words "interactive media" became commonplace.

The thread running through it all is clear. Willis understands that movement, whether physical or digital, is at the heart of every great interactive experience. It's not enough to learn how to program a character. Students need to understand how players feel moving through a space and how story and tension build through choice and motion.

This approach stands apart from many traditional game design programs, where the focus often stays narrowly on coding, engineering, or entertainment. At George �鶹��Ƶ, students are encouraged to see the field through a broader, more creative lens, and faculty like Willis make that difference tangible by opening up new horizons and possibilities.

"The artistic process and the design process are the same," Willis explains. "You have an idea. You test it. You iterate. You revise. Whether you're making a dance, a play, or a game, you're shaping an experience."

In Willis' classes, concepts like "up, down, over, under, around, and through"—terms drawn from choreography—become part of the vocabulary of level design. Students learn that building a world isn't just about filling empty spaces. It's about creating an emotional journey, guiding players the way a choreographer leads an audience through a performance.

Assignments often push students well beyond what they expect. Rather than duplicating popular games, students are tasked with reimagining how games can work: remixing storylines, combining dissimilar concepts, and creating entirely new kinds of experiences.

"I try to get students to move beyond what they know," Willis says. "There are thousands of games made every year. Why not create something no one's seen before?" This emphasis on creative risk-taking is not just academic. It's essential for future careers and can inspire students to push the boundaries of game design.

That creative risk-taking isn't just academic. It's essential for future careers. The industry is evolving fast. Today, game engines are used not only to build entertainment but also to produce films, train healthcare workers, develop educational tools, design virtual museums, and simulate real-world experiences.

Students trained purely in technical skills may find themselves boxed into narrower roles. Like Willis encourages, students trained to think like creators, collaborators, and innovators are prepared for opportunities across industries that barely exist today.

This bigger-picture thinking is part of what makes George �鶹��Ƶ's program distinct. The school doesn't just teach students how to make games. It teaches them to think like artists, designers, and problem-solvers ready to adapt, imagine, and lead.

Willis' own work models that future. His projects range from interactive poetry games to virtual museums of student dance films. He sees games not as isolated products but as evolving conversations between technology, culture, and human experience.

"Games are a text," Willis says. "They're not just about winning. They're about experiencing, connecting, imagining. They're about possibility."

For students at George �鶹��Ƶ, learning from faculty like Willis means more than building technical portfolios. It means leaving with a mindset. One that sees connections where others see limits, one that understands that creativity is a skill as critical as coding.

Willis believes that the future of games will belong to those who can blend disciplines, think across fields, and imagine more. And at �鶹��Ƶ, that future is already being built.

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Cyber cyclists count calories with adaptive virtual workouts

Nathan Kahl — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 13:41:21 +0000

Cyber cyclists count calories with adaptive virtual workouts Nathan Kahl Fri, 09/15/2023 - 09:41

For many, exercise is a laborious chore, better put off until tomorrow. But Craig Yu, an associate professor in the �鶹��Ƶ Department of Computer Science, is hoping a combination of virtual reality and gamification will make exercise an appealing—and even fun—endeavor.

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming ubiquitous, popping up in everything from serious activities like military applications and surgery support to recreational activities like theme park attractions and at-home video games.

Yu and colleagues are seeking to use the immersive VR world to help make exercise appealing. And more than that, they want to tailor your exercise routine to your fitness needs and abilities, in real time.

With Yu's program, a virtual cyclist's path will adapt to exercise outputs. Image courtesy of Craig Yu.

Imagine strapping on a VR headset and hopping on a stationary bike. You input goals such as calorie burn, heart rate changes, and other exertion targets. You then choose the terrain you want—maybe it’s a rocky hill or a desert scene and maybe a hazard or particular landmark is added for aesthetics. The game will then suggest path length and difficulty, among other things, to help you meet those goals. After you set off and your exercise output changes and fluctuates, the path will adjust in real time so that you ultimately get the precise workout you are seeking. Along the way, elements of gamification like point scoring, goal achievement, and collecting bonuses work to incentivize you.

To develop this technology, the researchers hacked a gym bicycle with a step motor, which controls the bike’s resistance according to the elevation of the VR terrain. If the user goes uphill, the bike's resistance will increase accordingly such that the user has to push to climb the hill, resulting in haptic realism and also the desired exertion effects.

Yu has a grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) I-Corps program to further develop what for now is called “the exertion-aware path generator.” I-Corps “prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory to increase the economic and societal impact of NSF-funded projects.” It helps academics think about commercializing their product via market research, iterative product development, and other common elements of bringing a product to market. While what they built was a prototype, the team is learning how to develop their creation to appeal to gym equipment companies such as Peloton, for example.

The I-Corps program is extensive, Yu says. “We have one month where we meet with NSF coaches and members of other teams. We learn different aspects of commercialization and customer discovery.” Among other things, participants must interview at least 100 potential customers about their product, helping to determine if a market actually exists for the device and, if so, if the product meets customer needs in its present form.

Yu says they talked to people from defense contractors, government agencies, and schools, among other places, with positive feedback, mostly around the practical challenges of using and getting used to VR experiences.

Yu is optimistic about the future of VR, noting that an extensive gaming culture among incoming college students leads many to want to explore research in the field. He recalls his own interest. “I was a junior faculty when Oculus Quest (an early VR headset) came out. It really amazed me! It was very cheap and we could do a lot of research projects based on it, including developing training and education programs.”

Yu says those practical uses are just now being fully explored. “On one hand, you need to make training really effective, not just fun. It should teach people something essential for their job. If someone performs very well in VR training, does it mean the person can perform equally well in the workplace? So there's a gap here and this is exactly what researchers are looking at, like whether people can transfer the knowledge effectively.”

But in the meantime, strap on the VR headset, pull up a course ending on the Champs-Élysées and pretend you’re wearing the yellow jersey as you hit that calorie goal. Fortunately, the croissants waiting for you at your ride’s end are only virtual.

Thumbnail art created by Simon Waldherr under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Solving Social Issues with Digital Art at �鶹��Ƶ Korea

Emily Schneider — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 18:20:40 +0000

Solving Social Issues with Digital Art at �鶹��Ƶ Korea Emily Schneider Tue, 12/07/2021 - 13:20

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Jared Bruhn

The '1st Social Impact Digital Art Contest' hosted by �鶹��Ƶ Korea, a member of the UN Global Compact, and sponsored by NCsoft, Gen.G Global Academy (GGA), Game Culture Foundation, and Square One is the UN's 'Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs)' is an event prepared to raise public awareness.

The event focused on raising public consensus on social issues in the Corona era and finding solutions using the interactive and storytelling elements of digital media.

Students and faculty stand together at an award ceremony for a contest that presents solutions to social issues through digital art. The contest was held by �鶹��Ƶ Korea and sponsored by NCsoft & Gen.G Global Academy of Korea. (Photo: �鶹��Ƶ Korea)

The works submitted to this contest, with total prize money of 4.6 million won, consist of computer games, animations, comics, drawings, and illustrations that provide solutions to social issues in each field.

The works that went through the fierce first screening were exhibited in a gallery in Square One, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, and were evaluated by citizens and judged by experts.

The judging was conducted by Jared Bruhn and John McGrew, professors of Computer Game Design at �鶹��Ƶ University Korea and external experts in the field."

The content of the evaluation was evaluated based on social value, completeness, workmanship, and originality, and the first to third places were selected in high school and college divisions, respectively.

In addition, popular awards in each category were selected through a citizen vote held at the exhibition hall.

Si-yeon Park (2nd year student at the Department of Creativity Soft) from Sejong University's BHP Team, who won the top prize in the college department, said, "I made the work 'With' in hopes that someone will agree. I believe that content can change the world, and I will make better works in the future.”

Robert Matz, president of �鶹��Ƶ Korea, said, “Through the creative ideas presented by students, it was interesting to see how popular culture can be used for better education and society. I hope it will serve as a good opportunity to raise public interest in social issues.”

Meanwhile, Guan Wang, president of Gen.G Global Academy (GGA), which sponsored the event, said in an encouraging speech, “This contest is a good example of converting students’ interest and passion for games into social contribution.” “Korea We are delighted to be collaborating with �鶹��Ƶ to organize this contest. I hope we can continue to collaborate more in the future.”

This article originally appeared in Woori Ilbo (South Korea) and has been translated into English.

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Ask the Experts

Pam Muirheid — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 20:24:44 +0000

Ask the Experts Pam Muirheid Tue, 03/16/2021 - 16:24

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Robbie Dieterich

Prof. Robert Dieterich

From an article on Wallet Hub, by Adam McCann, Financial Writer, Jun 10, 2020

Interview with Computer Game experts. Here is the excerpt with Rob Dieterich, Assistant Professor, Computer Game Design, �鶹��Ƶ

Gaming can be both an expensive and a time-consuming habit. For advice on maintaining a healthy gaming lifestyle and insight on the industry, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What tips do you have for someone who wishes to indulge his or her gamer habits without breaking the bank?

I recommend keeping an eye out for sales on markets for downloadable games, such as Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle, and Epic Games. These storefronts serve the PC market. Likewise, the Playstation 4, Switch, and Xbox One all offer downloadable games and frequently run discounts. Epic Games particularly is worth noting because, to grow its market share, it has been offering free games that you can download and keep playing when you want. I personally have a collection of almost 70 games on the Epic Store and have yet to actually purchase something from it.

I also recommend being wary of free-to-play games. While they are initially free, they often have an uncapped monetization system that can lead to infinite spending if unchecked.

What tips do you have for parents looking to monitor video-game content and prevent children from spending too much time playing video games?

Because all game purchases go through my accounts, my child is not able to purchase games without my permission. I also generally set up accounts to require me to enter a password before allowing any purchases.

Monitoring systems vary by game platform. The Nintendo Switch has an app you can put on your phone that tells you what games your child has been playing and for how long. It also allows you to set screen-time limits. On my child's gaming computer, I installed TeamViewer so I can view my child's real-time activity on my phone. This program lets the person being monitored know they are being watched which my child doesn't particularly mind (on the contrary, he's often quite excited to share what he's playing with me.)

Just as with controlling spending, I recommend caution around free-to-play games. Because of their business model, these are often designed to be played endlessly and often incentivize frequent long play sessions. I prefer it when my child plays story-based, single-player games as they have a definite beginning, middle, and end.

Knowing about the games that your child plays is a good idea. I am fortunate in this regard as knowing about games is part of my job. It can be a lot of work but try to talk to your children about the games they play. Research them when you have a chance. Consider watching videos of people playing those games on YouTube or Twitch to get a better idea of their content. Even better is if you can play with your child. My child and I have recently started a joint game of Civilization VI and we frequently discuss our load-outs in Monster Hunter World, a game we both play.

Which is more cost effective: a subscription model akin to Netflix that allows users to access a catalog of games or purchasing games individually?

Subscription services could be a cost-effective way to get access to games, although my household tends towards buying games individually because I like to take a more curated approach to our game library. One factor to keep in mind is that, like TV, an all-you-can-play service is only as good as its best games. If a service does not actually have games that you want to play, it is hardly a deal. Also, similar to video streaming services, game subscription services are incentivized to use their particular catalog of games as distinguishing features. You may find yourself having to subscribe to multiple services to get access to the games you want to play.

Do you believe the popularity of esports will continue to rise? Will it ever rival major sports leagues such as the NFL or MLB?

I am bullish on the potential of eSports as an entertainment medium. I don't know if eSports will necessarily grow to the mass-market appeal of the NFL or MLB as eSports games tend to ask a lot more rule literacy about the games in question than the most popular sports. One could argue that the barriers to understanding the League of Legends as a spectator are much higher than, say, American Football.

Should eSports betting be regulated differently than sports betting in general?

I am not particularly knowledgeable about current betting regulations for sports, but my gut answer is yes.

Despite the current economic crisis, the video game industry is thriving. What will be the long-term impact on the landscape of this industry?

If my memory serves correctly, the games industry has traditionally performed relatively well during times of economic downturn. I think this is often attributed to games' ability to provide a large number of entertainment hours per dollar. I am hopeful that support for work-from-home and remote work will continue to grow in game development on the back of COVID-19 quarantine measures. Game development, and game development companies, tend to concentrate in a certain few cities in the world. Remote work acceptance has the potential to allow more people to work on games without having to move to game development hub cities like San Francisco, Seattle, or Austin. I'm also hopeful that remote work measures will make it easier for people with families to actively engage in game development while still being present for their families.

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Boris Willis Is Helping Students Rethink What a Career in Game Design Can Be

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Cyber cyclists count calories with adaptive virtual workouts

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Solving Social Issues with Digital Art at �鶹��Ƶ Korea

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Ask the Experts

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What tips do you have for someone who wishes to indulge his or her gamer habits without breaking the bank?

What tips do you have for parents looking to monitor video-game content and prevent children from spending too much time playing video games?

Which is more cost effective: a subscription model akin to Netflix that allows users to access a catalog of games or purchasing games individually?

Do you believe the popularity of esports will continue to rise? Will it ever rival major sports leagues such as the NFL or MLB?

Should eSports betting be regulated differently than sports betting in general?

Despite the current economic crisis, the video game industry is thriving. What will be the long-term impact on the landscape of this industry?

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