Gain Storytelling Skills for the Digital Age
In the Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies (CENT), Point Park University students will receive training in cutting-edge technologies and art to design immersive user experiences.
Working with emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, generative artificial intelligence and immersive media, students will learn innovative storytelling techniques that can be applied to fields such as entertainment, edutainment, social media and others.
The Pioneers of CENT
An introductory course is being offered at Point Park in fall of 2024. The course examines the history, considers the future of experiential narratives, and explores the creative possibilities of extended reality, generative artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.
At CENT, gaming in all its forms is recognized as a prime example of experiential narrative. People don’t “play” a game as much as they “live” a game.
While the beauty of playing video games is the ability to experience many lives and enter many different worlds, the seeds of this immersion can be found in analog board games. To that end, students in CENT were tasked with creating an analog board game embodying the attributes of good game design and immersive storytelling mechanics.
At the start of this challenge, four CENT students, Saif Greco (sophomore), Caleb Knox (junior), AmiRae Lehr (sophomore), and Lebrun Mitchell (freshman), each pitched a game concept. Working with CENT Director Don Marinelli and Assistant Director Christopher Gaul, the group made the decision to pursue the game concept pitched by Saif Greco.
Titled “Elemental Clash,” the game features a world ruled by six primal forces: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, and Ether. At its genesis, these elements maintained a delicate balance between creation/destruction and light/darkness. Over time, powerful beings known as Elemental Guardians arose, each able to command one of these primal elements. World harmony, however, was fragile. Guardian ambitions grew, each seeking control over other realms. This desire for power plunged the world into chaos and internecine conflict allowed the Ether Guardian to seize control.
Players portray one of the Elemental Guardians, save the Ether. The game’s challenge is to journey across dangerous elemental pathways seeking to overcome the Ether Guardian. Striving to achieve this goal, players unlock ancient abilities, confront all manner of elemental forces — some helpful and others detrimental — while seeking to out-maneuver rival Guardians. Victory results in reclaiming your Guardian’s primal element, ascending to power, affirming one's title, while bringing harmony back to the world.
What this team of four students achieved in three short weeks was nothing short of truly remarkable. But such is the mission of CENT.
The future of CENT
As CENT continues to develop, further opportunities will be given to Point Park students to gain hands-on experience that prepares them for careers at the intersection of technology, media and storytelling such as:
Immersive Media Development
- Virtual reality (VR) developer
- Augmented Reality (AR) developer
- 360° video production
Interactive Storytelling
- Interactive narrative designer
- Transmedia storyteller
- Experience designer
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science
- AI/machine-learning engineer
- Data visualization specialist
- Computational narrative analyst
Digital Media and Live Entertainment
- Live experience design and production
- Digital media producer
- Game designer
- Immersive experience creator
Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies Staff
Dr. Donald Marinelli, director
CENT was conceived of by Dr. Donald Marinelli, who comes to Point Park with decades of experience in both theater and the intersection of entertainment and technology. "CENT revels in Pittsburgh's claim to being the City of Bridges," Marinelli said. "CENT will be another one of those bridges, connecting analog and digital technologies in ways never before imagined."
Marinelli spent 31 years at Carnegie Mellon University, where he served as associate head of drama from 1981 – 1995 and co-founded the world-renowned Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). He continues to teach at multiple universities and is excited to bring this knowledge and experience to Point Park.
"CENT recognizes the incredible power residing at every young person's fingertips: their smartphone, their PC, their connection to the online world," Marinelli said. "How to use this power for the good of humanity is the mission of CENT."
Chris Gaul, assistant director
Chris Gaul has served as the director and head coach of Point Park's esports team for four years. Before this, he was the director and head coach of esports at Northern Virginia Community College, developing an esports program for the second-largest community college in the nation. Gaul is a graduate of Allegheny College with a degree in economics and a minor in physics. Gaul has been involved in collegiate esports for a decade. Additionally, he has used his knowledge and background to build a curriculum and has served as an adjunct professor at Point Park teaching esports management.
"CENT offers students at Point Park an opportunity to do be on the forefront of innovation and development of the future of narrative media technology and techniques," he said.