Epic Games’ David Stelzer, Kaye Vassey to speak at Tulane

Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement (SoPA) will host Epic Games executives David Stelzer, the head of Unreal Engine Business Development and Licensing, and Kaye Vassey, a senior technical animator for a discussion of the gaming from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 in the Qatar Ballroom (#212) on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life on Tulane’s Uptown Campus. The event is free and open to the community. Limited seats are available. Please click here to RSVP.

Stelzer will discuss the business of games, how games are developed, and the art-to-game play process. Vassey will explain and demonstrate the process to take a character from concept to game, using example characters from the game Paragon.

Epic Games is the creator and distributor of worldwide titles such as the massive battle royale game, Fortnite, and the Unreal Engine that powers megahits like Bioshock, Borderlands and Robo Recall.

“Hosting Epic Games at Tulane SoPA Digital Design is a great opportunity for our game art and animation majors,” said Amanda Garcia, the program director for SoPA’s Digital Design program. “Learning from industry experts about the features, uses and future of the Unreal Engine and the concept-to-game play of Epic's blockbuster hit, Fortnite, truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are excited to showcase our students and faculty at the event, as well. We will have a demonstration area where attendees can see live demonstrations of the software we use in the classroom, such as Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop and more.”

A reception will immediately follow the conclusion of the lecture, and there will be a raffle giveaway for an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil.

SoPA’s Digital Design program was launched in 2018-19 and features concentrations in graphic design, interactive design and game art and animation. In addition to a bachelor of arts degree, the program offers a post-baccalaureate certificate and a digital design minor. The concentrations and courses were created and configured to bridge the gap between art and technology and are aligned with current industry needs.