Despite the lockdown, the RV TEAM challenge for students in Master of Science at Laval Institute went ahead as planned. The students created five video games, and one of them will be presented on April 22 at Laval Virtual, the international virtual reality trade show!
A confined challenge strengthens collective intelligence
As for many students, the end of the course period before the MTID3D master's internship at the Institut Arts et Métiers Laval felt unfinished! During an emergency meeting on Friday, March 13, students were asked to save the files on their workstations, tidy up their classrooms, and think about how to organize themselves while in lockdown. Reassuringly, the teachers asked them to remain "united and connected." Without knowing it, the following two weeks would prove more than ever their ability to carry out projects remotely and their collective intelligence.
Typically, the culmination of Master of Science program Master of Science marked by a motivating yet grueling final stretch for students: the RV TEAM, a 15-day non-stop challenge aimed at creating an original Virtual or Augmented Reality application capable of winning the global Laval Virtual student competition and being showcased at the heart of the eponymous trade show. Typically, students, in groups of 7–8, are confined to the same room for two weeks. While this close quarters can be challenging at times, it naturally fosters direct interaction and collaboration. In particular, it ensures that students don’t miss opportunities to communicate and respond to the project’s progress.
Technical obstacles mitigated by strong common references
Due to lockdown restrictions, for the good of all, they had to adapt... Two main obstacles stood in their way: the inability to access virtual reality headsets, which were also confined to the Laval Virtual Center, and the use of their personal equipment to develop the project and share it online.
In addition to the difficulty of understanding another person's "code" and individual ways of thinking, there were also problems with the internet connection. As time went by, some of them were on the verge of becoming discouraged. They admit that they struggled with their organization. After a few days of remote working, they quickly realized that they needed to impose a strict work ethic on themselves! The solution was as follows: a daily meeting with the team's teacher-coach, plus plenary meetings for all teams twice a week. And the good news is that, as a result, the competitive spirit was back in full force!
Learning how to use online project management tools was not difficult; it's almost second nature to them.
“Getting the hang of online project management tools wasn’t difficult; it’s almost second nature to them,” some coaches admit. They’ve tried almost all of them: from cloud services for storing and managing code to open-source project tracking software and chat rooms. Alexis, a Master of Science student, noted, however, that having shared knowledge (learned in class, for example) really helped in creating their 100% remote application.
The opportunity to participate in the first 100% virtual Laval Virtual exhibition
The cancellation of the in-person Laval Virtual trade show, announced on March 9, did not deter students from presenting their projects to industry experts and the event organizers on April 3. The jury, which was larger than usual, took their seats in the Teams virtual meeting room. The advantage of Teams was that it allowed participants to individually test the apps in real time or watch live as one of the Master of Science instructors Master of Science the application and uncovered its secrets. During these 15 days of work, five video games were created, all with different themes and playable on PC, Mac, or even Android for an Augmented Reality game.
All these applications will be presented at the 2021 edition of the Laval Virtual fair, and you can get a sneak peek at the jury’s favorite game, Little Grim and the Blue Fox, on Laval Virtual World on April 22 at 7:00 PM by registering for free online at: https://www.laval-virtual.com/fr/ticketing/
Although somewhat disrupted and restricted, the 2020 edition of the RV TEAM challenge was marked by a complete shift to virtuality and proved that collaborative and creative work is not incompatible with individual confinement!
