Miami team to compete in finals of AARP's Social Connection GameJam contest

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Tom Myers and Megan Linard will compete in a live pitch at the E3 Expo (photo by Angelo Gelfuso).
by Margo Kissell, university news and communications
A team of Miami University students will compete in the finals of the AARP/ESA Social Connection GameJam next Thursday in Los Angeles.
The three students — Christian Coppoletti, Megan Linard and Tom Myers — will take part in a “live pitch” event at the E3 Expo, delivering their idea for an innovative electronic game for people ages 50 and older to help foster positive social connection.
The students developed the idea during a 48-hour game jam in April, and it was chosen from 28 submissions from universities and colleges around the country.
George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and the UCSC Silicon Valley extension in Santa Clara, California, are the other semi-finalists. Each team received $1,500 per member to fund their travel to the expo for the final round of judging.

Christian Coppoletti will compete with Linard and Meyers.
The winning live pitch team will receive a $10,000 cash prize to be shared among the team members.
Coppoletti, a junior interactive media studies major with a computer science minor, called it “a colossal honor” to reach the finals. He has dreamed of visiting E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), but said he never expected to do so while in college, especially since it’s now an invitation-only event.
The GameJam is co-sponsored by AARP and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), with support from the Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA). HEVGA solicited participation from its membership representing student game designers and faculty at more than 100 institutions of higher learning.
The team is part of the Miami University Game Jam Club. Bob De Schutter, Miami’s C. Michael Armstrong Assistant Professor of Applied Game Design and the club’s adviser, will accompany the team to the expo.
De Schutter said the students’ ...

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