Cross-Team critiques
On October 24th, the Emergent Media Center (EMC) held its first cross-team critique of the fall semester. We heard from all of the teams who are working on various projects this fall and received some exciting insight into the hard work and detail they are all pouring into their projects.
The EMC makes a point to value Critical Friends, those who ask provocative questions and challenge each other in order to inspire healthy growth, hoping to foster an environment of open communication and creativity. Everyone at the EMC works hard to create intentional, fine-tuned products that cater to the clients’ needs. In order to do so, we hold at least two Cross-Team Critiques each semester, where members of all teams come together and show their work to each other, accepting feedback, praise, and suggestions from faculty, fellow students, advisers, and even alumni of the EMC.
Members of the EMC gather for the Cross-Team Critique
Presentations from the EMC Video Team, the EMC Communications team, MxRPC Augmented Reality (AR) app, and both of the Sandbox teams were given. Each team gave the rest of the audience a run-down of where they currently are in their project, what they’re struggling with, successes they’ve had, and things they want to work on for the future. After each presentation, the students, staff, and faculty present offered valuable feedback to the team members.
Presentations
The EMC Video team gave us a rundown on the different series they are working on, with a focus on their profile series, where they are sitting down with various staff, students, and even clients of the EMC and getting a feel for what people find the most memorable and valuable about the EMC. They are currently in the process of working on background music and figuring out which final touches to put on their pieces, such as small, fun animated graphics.
Carly Freeman (left) and Reagan Lee (right) talk about the EMC’s Communication Team initiatives
The EMC Communications team is currently working on highlighting EMC values within the center for students and special guests to see. This team shares what the EMC is currently working on in emergent tech fields and with the Champlain community large. The EMC itself is creating community internally, and works to continually create an open and fun workplace where everyone gets along, respects each other, and feels free to share their honest opinions with their peers.
Team OASIS shows off concept art for their in-progress mobile game
MxRPC is currently working on perfecting their augmented reality teaching program that allows students and teachers to collaborate in the classroom in order to learn how to fix computers and identify their different parts. They are currently in the process of putting the finishing touches on two lessons in the program and are beginning to work on a third lesson involving how to install Random-Access Memory (RAM).
Sandbox 1/Team OASIS is working on an AR mobile game where players raise different pets that they can find through scanning Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled cards with their phone. The team is in the early stages of development, presenting examples of what the graphics would look like and concepts on how to integrate NFC cards efficiently and sustainably into the program.
Sandbox 2/Habitus Mundi has a running prototype of their game about environmental sustainability, which revolves around players controlling a character called EGG (Environmental Generational Guardian) for a short span of time. In that time, players can chop down trees, plant saplings, and do other tasks that either increase or decrease the health of the world. When the player’s time is up, a new player takes their place, starting at the world health where the last player left off. The game is in the last half of development, with the team working on finishing up the graphics, mechanics, and features of the game.
community building
Cross-Team Critiques provide the opportunity for teams to receive feedback from the other members of the EMC, expanding on the community and the openness members have to share their ideas and be confident that their peers will help encourage and improve them. Through this valuable feedback time, different teams can brainstorm how to best synthesize their ideas into reasonable steps, which aids in the process of invention and innovation. With a community of intelligent, creative individuals at their backs, each team is set-up to succeed in their aspirations, and complete the goals they have set for themselves during their time at the EMC.