Ava Kershbaumer

Multimedia Artist
Ava is a mixed media artist and designer who is currently exploring technology as a medium for experiential art and storytelling. With a background in watercolor, sculpting, diorama, and sewing, Ava’s current work incorporates stop-motion, claymation, and hand drawn game assets to achieve an aesthetic that is digital and hand-crafted. They want to explore the juxtaposition of dark themes with charming and friendly characters. Ava seeks to elicit the sense of discovery and wonder similar to the senses of childhood, typically depicting themes of whimsy, surrealism, and nature and industrialization in their work. Through surreal art and new technology, Ava hopes to create unexpected and surprising experiences that engage and inspire others. 
Ava is a mixed media artist and designer who is currently exploring technology as a medium for experiential art and storytelling. With a background in watercolor, sculpting, diorama, and sewing, Ava’s current work incorporates stop-motion, claymation, and hand drawn game assets to achieve an aesthetic that is digital and hand-crafted. They want to explore the juxtaposition of dark themes with charming and friendly characters. Ava seeks to elicit the sense of discovery and wonder similar to the senses of childhood, typically depicting themes of whimsy, surrealism, and nature and industrialization in their work. Through surreal art and new technology, Ava hopes to create unexpected and surprising experiences that engage and inspire others. 

Ethan Soppart

Designer
Ethan is an artist and designer who works with digital media to create playful and imaginative characters and environments. Initially working with video and photo, his work has become a mix of digital mediums including, digital collage, 2D asset creation, and 3D modeling. Ethan explores the creation of 2D and 3D environments using lighting, sound, and asset creation. In his past work, he has explored themes of horror and the eerie, experimenting with atmosphere and mood in games. Other work depicts friendly and relatable characters, and Ethan plans on continuing to  venture into new themes and explore different game tones and settings. In the future he wants to explore new tools for creating dense and immersive environments and strives to build worlds that feel rich and alive.
Ethan is an artist and designer who works with digital media to create playful and imaginative characters and environments. Initially working with video and photo, his work has become a mix of digital mediums including, digital collage, 2D asset creation, and 3D modeling. Ethan explores the creation of 2D and 3D environments using lighting, sound, and asset creation. In his past work, he has explored themes of horror and the eerie, experimenting with atmosphere and mood in games. Other work depicts friendly and relatable characters, and Ethan plans on continuing to  venture into new themes and explore different game tones and settings. In the future he wants to explore new tools for creating dense and immersive environments and strives to build worlds that feel rich and alive.
Thesis Faculty
Xin XinOr ZubalskyCharles HuangMelanie CreanBen NorskovErnesto Klar

Socks

Project Website
Socks

Socks is a multimedia strategy game that explores themes of friendship and triumph. 

Story

The titular character Socks makes new friends and explores new surroundings. He would not normally stray far from home, but one day he comes across a lost kitten in need of his help. Together with his friends, Socks uncovers the mysteries of a dark presence emerging from deep within the woods.

TRAILER

Where will Socks go?

At present, Socks is a demo and part of an ongoing project. We plan to create a larger world and more diverse areas for players to encounter and explore. This was our first endeavor using RPG maker and we have learned very much since we started our work. We hope to optimize and polish the game further and learn from the mistakes we made along the way. Socks as a project may morph or grow in the future, but we know for certain that we want to make a game with a rich and vibrant world.