Department of Digital Game Design engages in Virtual Reality

Cyprus International University Faculty of Communication, Department of Digital Game Design students will  start using “Virtual Reality” (VR) technology in their classes this Spring Semester. 
Prof. Dr. Aytekin İşman, Dean of CIU Faculty of Communication and Chairman of the Department of Digital Game Design stated that the students were excited to experience the virtual reality equipment that started to be used this semester, and added that they will continue working on implementing new technologies into the courses.
CIU Faculty of Communication Lecturer Assist. Prof. Dr. Engin Aluç explained  the importance of experiencing virtual reality during the teaching-learning process and said, "Experience, as in every field, is one of the important sources of motivation in producing content in the field of game design."
Stating that last semester the students took courses such as animation, game design, drawing, clay modeling and visual perception, Aluç pointed out that the new curriculum included game engines, game programming, 2D and 3D design and animation courses this semester.
Aluç pointed out that CIU Faculty of Communication offers facilities such as 'Game Lab', 'Virtual Reality sets' and 'Drawing Tablets' and added that these opportunities will take its students one step ahead in the field of animation and game design after graduation.
Reminding that Virtual Reality is one of the developing areas of the gaming industry, Aluç stated that a virtual reality helmet and 2 controllers are needed to experience virtual reality and added that the controller can be optional in the newly developed devices, however,  "As soon as you put on the helmet, you can observe your surroundings 360 degrees both horizontally and vertically, interact with the objects around you; and thus VR  provides not only gaming applications but also spatial experience.” 
Aluç gave examples of what can be done with this technology, and said, “using this technology, you can go to the International Space Station which is otherwise impossible to go to and take a spacewalk outside the station or experience the zero-gravity environment inside the space station.  At the same time, you can go beyond the limits of the 2D computer screen and produce modeling, drawing and animation in a 3D environment."