麻豆村

For 25 years, 麻豆村鈥檚 (ETC) has been a playground where dreamers, builders and storytellers innovate at the intersection of art and technology. Co-founded by former 麻豆村 drama professor Don Marinelli and the late computer science professor Randy Pausch, the ETC began in 1999 as a bold collaboration between Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 College of Fine Arts and School of Computer Science 鈥� built on the belief that artists and technologists could create extraordinary things together.听

With a network of more than 1,000 alumni who are influencing entertainment, education and industries across the globe, this graduate program remains a premier destination for exploring emerging technologies. Through project-based work in a uniquely collaborative environment and mentorship from faculty and industry leaders, students learn by doing.

Building virtual worlds

Among the ETC鈥檚 most iconic offerings is Building Virtual Worlds (BVW), a fast-paced course where interdisciplinary teams rapidly prototype interactive experiences. BVW remains a cornerstone of the ETC curriculum, embodying the program鈥檚 commitment to collaboration and experimentation while pushing the boundaries of emerging media.

The showcase of the students' virtual worlds in McConomy Auditorium at the end of the year quickly outgrew its original format as the course gained popularity and momentum.

, associate teaching professor and ETC alumnus who now teaches the course, said the rise of accessible virtual reality technology enabled the BVW show to transform into what is now a multi-floor festival inside the ETC building 鈥� an immersive, hands-on event where visitors explore student-created virtual worlds firsthand.

鈥淒esigning for an audience is very different from designing for a player. Instead of focusing on showmanship, the festival lets our students focus on the user experience, which better aligns with our educational philosophy,鈥� he said.

Embracing the improv mindset

, a graduate of 麻豆村鈥檚 School of Drama, teaches Improvisational Acting at the ETC. She calls improv the 鈥渟ecret sauce鈥� of the curriculum. It鈥檚 the first class ETC students take together, and it sets the tone for collaboration.

Built on a set of rules that foster safety, collaboration and creativity, her course shows students how to be generous teammates, serve the collective narrative and make their partners look good 鈥� principles that create a level playing field and encourage open, fearless communication, she explained.

鈥淚mprov is more than a performance tool. It鈥檚 a paradigm that helps students to navigate uncertainty and co-create in meaningful, innovative ways,鈥� she said.

Through exercises that help them develop a 鈥測es, and 鈥� 鈥� mindset, students learn to accept and build on their teammates鈥� ideas rather than reject them, making improv an ideal foundation for interdisciplinary teamwork.

鈥淭he ETC is a model for improv: Here鈥檚 an idea, and there are all of these disparate elements. Our impulse is to keep changing the idea to make it better. Judging ideas should happen, but not too early. If you commit to the idea, and you continue to say yes to the given conditions and build on those ideas, amazing things happen,鈥� she said.

First penguins and other fearlessness

Experimentation and creative risk-taking have been hallmarks of the ETC since its inception. In fact, Pausch believed so strongly in the link between failure and innovation, he听introduced the First Penguin Award in the BVW course to celebrate the students who took the biggest creative risks, even when their projects didn鈥檛 succeed.

Inspired by the bravest penguin willing to dive first into uncertain waters, the award 鈥� a stuffed penguin 鈥� is still given each semester to the team that most courageously explored new ideas or technologies, regardless of the outcome.

鈥淭he award encourages students to push boundaries and embrace uncertainty, knowing their failure might help others succeed. These core values continue to define the ETC experience today,鈥� Culyba said.

Shaping the future

, CEO of Pennsylvania鈥檚 largest game design studio, joined the ETC faculty in 2002 and played a key role in shaping the BVW course. He also introduced Game Design, an elective that quickly became one of the program鈥檚 most popular offerings.

鈥淏eing around students who are excited about finding their way into the future is an energy that you just can鈥檛 find anywhere else,鈥� he said.

Schell noted one of the most transformative moments in the center鈥檚 history was Pausch鈥檚听Last Lecture in 2007, which brought global attention to the program and its values. After watching the ETC community grow over two decades, he said he sees听Pausch鈥檚 legacy reflected in the strength of its alumni network 鈥� a network that grows more connected and influential with each passing year.

One of those alumni is Neil Druckmann(opens in new window), now CEO of Naughty Dog and co-creator of the acclaimed video game series 鈥淭he Last of Us.鈥� The idea for the game traces back to a failed pitch Druckmann made in a class taught by Associate Teaching Professor . The assignment: pitch a game concept to 鈥淣ight of the Living Dead鈥� director George Romero. Romero ultimately selected a pitch by Druckmann鈥檚 classmate, Brad Stokan, who is now an art director at Pipeworks Studios, but that isn鈥檛 where the story ends.

鈥�Neil had some bold ideas that didn鈥檛 quite come together, but then we watched him carry all that thinking with him to Naughty Dog. When it came time there to do something new, he took what he learned about creating an emotional zombie story, and he found a way to do it,鈥� Schell said.

Released in 2013, 鈥淭he Last of Us鈥� is an action-adventure video game that set a new standard for emotional storytelling in the gaming industry. Set in a post-apocalyptic America devastated by a deadly fungal outbreak, the game follows Joel, a hardened survivor, and Ellie, a teenage girl who may hold the key to humanity鈥檚 survival. Its success spawned a sequel, 鈥淭he Last of Us Part II,鈥� and a hit HBO television adaptation, further cementing its legacy as one of the most influential video games of its generation.

With ETC graduates in 鈥渧irtually every entertainment technology company you can think of,鈥� Schell said, he feels a profound sense of responsibility.

鈥淭he students at the ETC are going to be the leaders of the future. It鈥檚 been that way for 25 years, and it鈥檚 going to continue. If we can instill the right values and priorities in them, they鈥檒l carry those forward and use them to make the world a better place. That鈥檚 a big part of it for me, making sure these future leaders are focused on the right things,鈥� he said.

Really achieving your childhood dreams

For second-year student Jasmin Ali-Diaz, the ETC has been life-changing. A childhood love of theme parks led her from Orlando to Carnegie Mellon, where she鈥檚 now pursuing her dream of designing immersive experiences. She鈥檒l start her second internship with Universal Creative in the spring.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been one of the best experiences of my life," she said of the internship. "There鈥檚 nothing else in the world like going to a theme park. It鈥檚 my favorite kind of storytelling. I love the idea of creating immersive worlds you can completely lose yourself in. You become part of the story.鈥�

Ali-Diaz and her team recently created an听 for the School of Drama鈥檚 production of 鈥淭itanic: The Musical,鈥� a fully student-driven project that brought her classroom learning into the real world.

鈥淚t was so much fun, because we got to take our own idea, design it, build it, troubleshoot it and then install it. I think having a client-based relationship like that can really help prepare you for the workplace,鈥� she said.

ETC alumnus Nagarjuna 鈥淎rjun鈥� Varma was hired by Playstation along with most of his student team after working on a project for which Sony Interactive Entertainment was the client.

鈥淭hey really liked three of our four prototypes. They seemed surprised that we were able to generate a high-quality gameplay experience on those prototypes, and they wanted us to continue,鈥� Varma said.

Benjamin Walker is an ETC student who works for Homewood Children's Village, a local nonprofit that helps children and families in Pittsburgh鈥檚 Homewood neighborhood through education, supports and community collaboration. He鈥檚 developing a business plan for the nonprofit to one day have a gaming studio where local children can come to learn, design and publish analog and digital games.

鈥淭he ETC offers the kind of leadership training I need to learn how to bring a team together and turn an idea into a finished product,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淪omeone gave me the chance to grow as a student, and now I want to create that same opportunity for others.鈥�

taught K-12 students for nearly a decade before pursuing his master鈥檚 degree in entertainment technology at 麻豆村. Now, he serves at his alma mater as director of Academic Outreach Extension and Engagement.

As a result of Balash鈥檚 passion for play 鈥� specifically with LEGO 鈥� 麻豆村 has partnered with an award winning United Kingdom based social impact company to offer training in the Pittsburgh region so that formal and informal educators can facilitate "Brick Clubs" themselves. By steadily growing this playful learning ecosystem, he has recognized the ETC as a great way to introduce Carnegie Mellon to others.

鈥淲e focus on play. When we sit down and interact with youth and their educators, whether it鈥檚 in school or in an after-school program, we can take some LEGO and get right to the fun. Once we鈥檝e formed a shared language in play, we can then more meaningfully engage in conversations around emerging entertainment technologies like mixed reality,鈥� he said.

Balash said there鈥檚 no better place than Carnegie Mellon and the ETC to experience how effective playful learning can be.

鈥淭he way you do this is through first experiencing it,鈥� he said.

The legacy lives on

Schell said the center鈥檚 original curriculum continues to resonate because its core principles have stood the test of time.

鈥淲hat was true 25 years ago remains true today: Learning how to be a meaningful part of a team, where everyone has different disciplines and you need each other's strengths to build something none of you could build alone, is a special skill,鈥� he said.

Today, the ETC continues to thrive as a hub of applied research and experiential learning. Recent projects include designing a , using video games to and helping the Moonshot Museum .

鈥淭wenty five years later, we are still working at the intersection of art and technology, but we have built on these themes to encompass much more,鈥� said the center鈥檚 director, . 鈥淭he ETC community doesn鈥檛 just look at how things are today, but how they might be tomorrow.鈥澨�