10 UNUSUAL E3 FACTS

The E3 show floor, 2013

Each June, the world turns its attention to the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) in downtown LA, where the future of interactive entertainment is on full display at E3. While E3 is known the world over as the place to experience the latest video games, technologies, and other innovations, most people probably do not know how much work is required to build the entertainment software industry’s premier global trade show. Here are 10 facts about E3 2014 that may blow your mind:

1. The Ethernet cables used at E3 could stretch from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, from New York City to Chicago, from Denver to Dallas, or from Madrid to Paris. In total, these cables weigh more than two tons.
2. E3 features more than 35,000 video monitors and more than 6,000 pieces of furniture.
3. The meeting rooms and exhibit spaces at E3 could fill nearly eight U.S. football fields, approximately 34 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or more than seven White Houses.    
4. Truss and hoists at E3 – used to suspend lighting and hanging decorations – weigh the equivalent of 26 African elephants, 54 mid-sized SUVs, or more than seven F-18 fighter jets.
5. The amount of bandwidth required for three days at E3 is more than most U.S. cities require in a year.
6. E3 employs more than 3,000 people during the course of producing the show, including an army of 45 network engineers who work to complete the on-site Internet/Ethernet installation in the three weeks leading up to the big event.
7. If the total data moved over the Internet at E3 was printed on size 8.5 x11 paper and stacked vertically, it would be taller than the Empire State Building.
8. More than 55 miles of fiber optic cable is used at E3, enough to reach the mesopause – the coldest part of Earth's upper atmosphere.
9. The LACC’s electricians use nearly 10 miles of extension cords at E3 and nearly five miles of duct-tape to secure cords to the floor. The show also installs approximately five miles of carpet throughout the LACC.
10. For the first time, millions of gamers from around the world will be able to experience E3 by tuning in to Twitch.TV’s live stream of the expo floor. Viewers can also watch press conferences, original interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage of the event.

E3 officially kicks off at the LACC on June 10. To experience the excitement of E3 for yourself, visit: http://www.e3insider.com.

GLASSLAB LAUNCHES MARS GENERATION ONE GAME

The Games, Learning and Assessment Lab (GlassLab) recently released its second educational video game, which takes players on an out-of-this-world adventure to the planet Mars and teaches critical thinking and argumentation skills.

In partnership with NASA, GlassLab researchers designed Mars Generation One: Argubot Academy, a tablet game for middle school students that transports players to the “Red Planet” in the year 2054. Players take on the role of a new student at Argubot Academy, Mars’ first middle school, and must collaborate with the planet’s diverse citizens to make important community decisions. For example, players must devise strategies to build an efficient government, cultivate crops for food, and even determine which pets would be best-suited to the planet’s environment.

Screenshot from Mars Generation One: Argubot Academy

Players must develop sound arguments to support every choice they make, equipping virtual “robot assistants” with their claims and evidence. The robots then engage in a “battle of the wits”; the one with the stronger argument wins. The game teaches students how to construct valid arguments by incorporating evidence into claims; recognizing the strengths of different types of arguments; and making decisions collaboratively.

“Our story emphasis will be on problem solving and social decision making in a small community,” GlassLab General Manager Jessica Lindl said. “We hope to inspire the astronauts of the future by showing that skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving are going to be the 21st century skills at work in space as well as on Earth.”

Argubot Academy is aligned with Common Core State Standards. The game is now available on the Apple App Store, and GlassLab researchers plan to release a full suite of related teacher tools later this year.

PLAYSTATION 3 SUPERCOMPUTER HELPS RESEARCHERS MODEL BLACK HOLES

Astrophysicists at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Dartmouth are using video game consoles to model black holes.

At the Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research (CSCVR), researchers combined four racks of Sony PlayStation 3’s – 176 units with associated networking gear, cables, and software– to create a makeshift supercomputer. Housed inside refrigerated shipping containers to stay cool, this collection of PS3’s has the same computational power as nearly 3,000 laptop or desktop processor-cores and is available at a fraction of the cost of a traditional supercomputer.

This tremendous processing strength allows CSCVR scientists to efficiently solve intensive astrophysics computations and simulate how rotating, supermassive black holes capture small stars. Since astrophysicists cannot directly observe the makeup of black holes using telescopes, these simulations enable them to study how supermassive black holes grow and influence the evolution of galaxies – including our own.

“The PlayStation 3 offers two significant advantages in this regard,” CSCVR Associate Director Gaurav Khanna told Forbes. “One: Its cell processor is extremely powerful… and two: the PS3 hardware is deeply discounted. The combination of these two facts offers one the option of doing ten times more science for each dollar spent as compared with traditional computer systems.”

Khanna designed the original PS3 supercomputer – an eight-console version – in 2008. With the support of a National Science Foundation grant, he and UMass Dartmouth Principal Investigator Chris Poulin later created a step-by-step guide to teach other scientists how to build their own PS3 supercomputers in order to reduce the cost of computing research. Other research groups were quick to follow CSCVR: The University of New Hampshire, the Rowland Institute at Harvard, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in New York are all working to develop their own PS3 supercomputers.

Khanna plans to broaden the PS3 supercomputer’s application to other areas of astrophysics or data security research. As consoles continue to advance in processing speed and sophistication, these console-supercomputers could play a crucial role in answering some of science’s biggest questions.

“THE ART OF THE GAME”

2K, the publisher of popular video game titles including Borderlands and Civilization, recently released “The Art of the Game,” a documentary that follows aspiring game designers as they pursue a career in the video game industry and highlights the evolution of entertainment software.

Click to watch "The Art of the Game"

The film focuses on a group of video game design students at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco as they work to develop their own original narratives for Borderlands 2, one of 2K’s best-selling games, for the chance to land a featured segment in the game’s next iteration. Following a presentation of their story boards to 2K executives, designers, and Academy of Art administrators, three students are selected to take their boards to 3D animation with 2K to continue the design process, and two students are offered coveted summer internship positions with the company.

The film showcases the unique challenges and opportunities that student game designers encounter as they work to land jobs in the competitive video game industry while balancing the demands of their education. Today, 385 colleges and universities across the country offer degree programs in game design and production, providing students like those featured in “The Art of the Game” with the skills they need to work at cutting-edge studios that offer lucrative compensation.

The film also explores games’ growing influence on American society, beyond entertainment. In one scene, for example, residents of the Edward E. Sullivan Senior Center in Torrington, CT, discuss how they play active video games to stay physically fit and interact with friends. In other scenes, administrators at U.S. school districts discuss how educational games have boosted students’ test scores and increased their understanding of complex concepts.

Through a collection of real stories, “The Art of the Game” highlights the passion and creativity of video game industry professionals, and explores the cultural shift taking place in interactive entertainment. To watch the documentary, go to: http://bit.ly/1nfjleT.