Four NC alumni are behind a new video game that has been making headlines for its COVID-19-related themes.
‘Cat Colony Crisis’ was released on Feb. 9 by Paul Boyko, a 2019 Game Development and 2016 Computer Programmer Analyst (Co-op) grad, along with fellow Game Development grads from 2018 Chris Lyons, Christine Harte and Chelsea Saari, under their company Devil’s Cider Games.
This latest article from Desmond Brown with CBC Hamilton, highlights the game for its pro-science concepts including testing, contact tracing, social distancing and PPE. Lead programmer Paul Boyko is quoted in the article explaining the game’s concepts in detail:
“As the overseer you get to see how personal responsibility is the most important part of controlling a pandemic, because all the rules and all the regulations don’t do anything unless people actually follow them. You get to see that from these cats because they are doing what they want and you have to sort of step in and try and stop the spread.”
Brown mentions that the game was developed with support from LabX, a division of the National Academy of Science, and in consultation with members from the Center for Disease Control in the United States. He also includes a quote from NC Game Development professor Thomas Brown, who comments on the game’s educational nature, especially for a younger audience.
Read the full Feb. 15 article here.
View the ‘Cat Colony Crisis’ Launch Trailer on YouTube here.
