Had a chance to visit the Entertainment Technology Center at CMU with my four year old daughter to see their final projects last week. They really do some very cool work down there! One of the most interesting was an online game called Rumor Mill, where you play a teenaged girl trying to achieve the right status in high school. They also created a robot named Quasi, who is going to be the mascot for the upcoming Kid's Worlds Fair in Orlando.
The best thing about the ETC program is that they really do an excellent job at bringing technologists and storytellers together. Here's a little description from the ETC web site:
The phrase "entertainment technology" refers to a very real world of entertainment experiences made possible by the advent of primarily computer-mediated digital technologies. The term requires an elastic and fluid definition, required in large part by advances in technology that are making ever-new entertainment experiences and venues possible. What was meant by the phrase entertainment technology as recently as a year ago requires re-definition in light of recent developments on both technology and entertainment fronts.True to its vanguard and visionary nature, Carnegie Mellon University is the only university in the country to offer a Masters of Entertainment Technology degree (MET).
This is not a Master of Science nor a Master of Arts or Fine Arts degree—rather a unique, specialized degree program in the interdisciplinary field of entertainment technology. Your diploma will say; Master of Entertainment Technology. The MET is considered a professional, terminal degree. It is the academic pinnacle of studies in this field, thus having greater significance than the M.A. or M.S., and the equivalent academic weight of the M.F.A. and/or M.B.A. degree.
We go down several times per year, so please let me know if you ever want to join us for one of our visits!
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