The Engine Provider. The Serious Game Creator. The Game Developer

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1 Wake County Raleigh, NC

2 Wake County Raleigh, NC The Engine Provider Wake County, North Carolina anchored by the capital city of Raleigh together with the surrounding Research Triangle Region, is home to one of the largest concentrations of game development companies in the United States. Leading engine developers, influential entertainment studios and pioneering producers of serious games make Wake County the industry s ultimate triple threat. The Serious Game Creator The Game Developer

3 The Engine Provider Wake County has emerged as the game industry s East Coast hub. the reason? our people. Every year our universities churn out exceptionally well-trained graduates. New studios continue to arrive accessing our skilled and growing workforce. Local game companies find it s an easy sell to recruit top talent. And industry organizations provide support and a culture of innovation where the creative spirit thrives. Unreal Engine 3: Epic Games Gamebryo LightSpeed: Emergent Game Technologies Vicious Engine 2: Vicious Cycle Software It s no coincidence that three of the industry s most successful game engines are produced within minutes of each other. The Triangle s position as a leader in computer science, engineering and software development combined with a thriving game industry makes it the perfect place for this type of technology-intensive development work. But we re no one-trick pony. So don t think for a second that we re just a great place to develop engines.

4 The game developer Epic Games: Gears of War franchise Red Storm Entertainment: Ghost Recon series Viscious Cycle Software: Deadhead Fred Icarus Studios: Fallen Earth With the best engine technologies close by, it stands to reason that Wake County would be home to some of the best games too. For more than 20 years, local studios have created dozens of top-selling titles across numerous genres. More recently, international powerhouses like EA have opened studios in the Triangle to access our well-stocked talent pool. Whether large or small, old or new, local studios excel thanks to our skilled and diverse workforce. While entertainment games get most of the glory, there is another, more serious, side to our industry. The serious game creator ARA/Virtual Heroes American Research Institute IBM Serious Games Lockheed Martin/ 3D Learning Solutions Serious games allow users to experience and react to real world scenarios. This is especially beneficial in situations where a wrong move or bad decision could result in injury or even death. With the promise of increased safety, significant cost savings, and enhanced learning, serious games are positioned to be one of the fastest growing segments of the industry over the next decade. These games are most effective when they fully engage the user. The more realistic, the better. The Triangle is a leader in this area because our companies use leading-edge technology to deliver the most dynamic experience possible.

5 university talent and training The numbers are impressive: 125,000 students. 18 colleges and universities. Three tier one research universities. all within minutes of each other. No wonder raleigh consistently ranks as one of the most educated cities in the u.s. But it s more than just smarts. here, a model of collaboration between industry and academia fuels real innovation A boon for local game companies. NC State University wake tech community college NC State s enrollment of 31,000 includes over 8,000 in its highly regarded College of Engineering. There, students can pursue a BS in Game Development and other computer science degrees. Wake Tech offers an AAS degree in Simulation and Game Development. Graduates enter the workforce as skilled game testers, assistant designers, and modelers. The curricula, developed together with local game companies and the National Science Foundation, includes: 3D modeling and animation, level design, tools programming, and more. digital games research center Located on NC State s Centennial Campus, the DGRC focuses on research and education in digital game technologies. The DGRC faculty works closely with local game industry partners to craft its curricula to focus on key skills needed by game professionals. Other industry benefits include: Cooperative R&D agreements Licensing agreements Use of unique DGRC facilities Technical assistance Priority access to graduates university of north carolina at chapel hill UNC has 28,000 students and research funding of over $678 million in Its renowned computer graphics program specializes in: virtual environments, medical image processing, scientific visualization and geometric modeling. duke university Duke s Computer Science and Engineering programs boast strengths in computational geometry and artificial intelligence. The Duke Immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) is the Southeast s only fully-enclosed, six-sided, virtual reality environment.

6 bonus features With its youthful pulse, diversity and dynamic cultural scene, Raleigh welcomes new arrivals from around the world. Our wealth of social, recreational and commercial amenities more than rival our big-city competitors. Residents here can choose from busy downtown neighborhoods to more relaxed suburbs without ever being too far from their jobs or other favorite activities. The best part? It s all affordable and accessible. come see for yourself The annual Triangle Games Conference is in April. (trianglegameconference.com) Plan a visit and see for yourself why Wake County is the game industry s triple threat. For more information, call us at or visit us at raleigh-wake.org/games.

7 raleigh-wake.org/games