Life
Are you a graduate student and interested in escape rooms or immersive gaming experiences, whether as a designer or a player? Join two professional game designers for a 2-day workshop on October 19 & 20, 2022, in support of your overall wellness. Participants will receive a stipend! Sign up by October 18 at 5pm!
The UCSB Graduate Division and Mental Health Task Force are collaborating to offer a paid skill development opportunity on October 19 & 20, 2022 in the GSA Lounge: "Haunted or Hallowed, an Escape Room Workshop." In this workshop, world-class facilitators will empower graduate students to learn new skills and to reinforce existing ones, all while socializing and learning in an inclusive setting.
Workshop participants will collaborate to create escape rooms while facilitators teach them about effective team product design, development, and deployment. Each day, from 4 to 6p, Designers will learn to create and build escape rooms (immersive and interactive puzzle games).
In the week following the core workshop (10/26-10/28), Testers will playtest the games and provide feedback to the designers. Designers are paid $100 for participating in the workshop and showcase, while Testers who participate in the showcase receive $75. Sign-up before 5pm on Tuesday, October 18!
About the Facilitators
Tommy Honton is a professional experience designer, leveraging his impressive background to design the award-winning escape room, Stash House, and co-create the interactive exhibition, The Museum of Selfies.
"I love collaborating with others while experimenting with formats, genres, and mediums to create accessible spaces for every type of audience." - Tommy Honton
A model for Haunted or Hallowed was masterminded by the second facilitator, Jeb Havens. His Escape Jam workshops have been successfully offered in live and virtual formats since 2017. Jeb has been professionally engaged in game and interactive design since 2003, while simultaneously immersing and educating himself in cultures by backpacking through 50 countries around the world.
"I never cease to be amazed by just how creative people can be given the right circumstances, the right constraints, and (of course) a crazy time limit." - Jeb Havens
Both men have also collaborated on projects with companies including Google, Disney, and Electronic Arts.
The facilitators and workshop planning team are excited to offer this workshop and look forward to engaging with students on this.
For more information, please contact the Diversity Peer.