Aoyama and Smith Place First in Game Development Category of the 2008 U.S. Imagine Cup

Mark Aoyama (seated) and Martin Smith (standing) demonstrate their winning submission to Microsoft U.S. Western Region Vice President Chris Weber

Mark Aoyama and Martin Smith, both graduate students in GW’s Department of Computer Science, won first place in the Game Development category of the 2008 U.S. Imagine Cup finals, hosted on April 20-22 in Los Angeles, CA. Imagine Cup is sponsored by Microsoft Corporation and is the world’s premier student technology competition.

More than 150,000 students from 100 countries registered in this year's Imagine Cup. Imagine Cup encourages young people to apply their imagination, passion and creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world. The competition is in its sixth year, and its theme is sustaining the natural environment on which life depends.

Aoyama and Smith won first place in the Game Development category for their game, Ecocism, a futuristic arcade-style experience that demands that players manage their resources strategically, restore the environment, and fend off onslaughts from enemy combatants. As the winners of the U.S. Imagine Cup Finals, Aoyama and Smith (known as Team Ligersoft) will receive $5,000 and their own booth at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), one of the largest gaming expos in the country.

For more information, about Imagine cup, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/imaginecup/default.mspx

SEAS congratulates Mark Aoyama and Martin Smith!