BEN LANDES

While many college students enjoy playing video games, some MSU students prefer to control them - and not just with the joystick.

Two years after its creation, Spartasoft, a student group of video game programmers and designers, are hard at work producing games.

Members meet for a couple of hours each week, and project teams designate their own meeting times and places.

“I like to think of it as an investment, not a sacrifice,” said Michael Brinkman, a mathematics senior and group member.

Because participation is voluntary, members can put in as few or as many hours as they want. While several members can produce simple projects in a few hours, other more in-depth projects have been in development for several months.

“Some members are just hanging around, waiting until they learn more, or find a project they can really get excited about,” Brinkman said.

Members such as Jennifer Fassett, a chemical engineering senior, are working on presentations for Demo Days, Spartasoft’s biggest event in which members demonstrate games they’ve worked on throughout the year.

The event will be on March 31 in B-100 Wells Hall.

“The project team I am on is ‘The Dark,’” Fassett said. “I am responsible for writing the plot and the quests that result in the success condition (objective) of the game.”

“The Dark,” is one of several Spartasoft projects that have been in production since its formation in June 2000. Molded around a medieval atmosphere, it is an action-adventure similar to games such as “Diablo” and “Gauntlet.”

The group also has worked on games ranging from break-dance simulators to shoot-’em-up games.

Spartasoft’s members range from computer science majors to art and history majors. Membership has grown from six members to 30, with about 50 subscribers to its mailing list.

“We need everyone from English majors to write story lines to artists for the animations and concept art,” said Eric Arnold, a computer science senior who’s in charge of developing “The Dark.”

“There is a lot more to the game than just the code. Someone has to come up with the ideas and help solve problems.”

Spartasoft evolved from an idea that it could be an organization to give members a competitive advantage in the profession, Brinkman said.

Members enhance their creativity, teamwork and problem solving abilities to obtain the skills video game companies look for. Three members had internships last summer with several big game companies.

“The game industry is so competitive that many times there are more people that want to get in than there are positions available,” Brinkman said.

Unfortunately, academic resources are limited and many members hope educational curriculum for video game programming will be developed at MSU.

“Computer games are the fastest growing segment of the entertainment industry, and it would be good to see the academic community start to recognize it as a legitimate business, much like film, theater or literature,” Brinkman said.

The university has begun to offer one class through the Department of Telecommunication. Telecommunication 447, Three Dimensional Graphics and Simulation, focuses on 3-D graphics and simulation - the basics for real-time interaction design in gaming.

The class is a start, but a one-semester course is not nearly enough, Brinkman said.

Besides using on-campus computer labs for its meetings, Spartasoft does not receive any financial support from the university or other outside groups. Members use their own equipment and software to design and produce the majority of their video games.

“We hope to receive funds from ASMSU and RHA in the future, so we can start having larger events,” Brinkman said. “We are also looking for other sponsors so that we can buy better tools and start a library of game development books.”

So far, the group has received a Dell server as a donation from Microsoft, which is used as a place to store the group’s projects.

The group also hopes to work with Spartasoft alumni to create a network for members when they graduate.

One alumnus, Ben Johnson, who now works for 3DO, worked on World Destruction League titles for the PlayStation 2 game console.

“I’m hoping that when our members get jobs, they’ll remember the club, come back to give talks and possibly provide us with some free games,” Brinkman said. “Hopefully all of this will help build in-roads for our members in the future.”

Spartasoft meets at 8 p.m. Sundays in 100C Wells Hall. For more information, e-mail spartaso@msu.edu or visit www.spartasoft.cse.msu.edu.