Manhattan high-school students worked on urban renewal by creating computer games at Eyebeam’s annual Digital Day Camp.

DDC students had to develop games about one of New York City’s urban-renewal projects: the High Line, a 1.45-mile meadow and small forest that snakes through Manhattan. The city is still battling over whether it should be transformed into a public park, farmland or a new subway line.

To explore the issues, DDC participants worked with professional game designers to develop interactive projects about what should — and what might — happen to the High Line.

Students were divided into four teams. Team 1 worked on a shooter game called High Conquer. Gameplay revolves around “fighting your way through the evil private developers’ loyal minions in order to foil the developers’ plans to destroy the sacred land space of the High Line with private real estate development.”

Team 2’s puzzle game, Roller Coaster Mania, was based on an actual proposal to install a roller coaster on the High Line.

Team 3 created The Opportunity of a Lifetime, an adventure game that allows players to conjure up their own vision of how the High Line could be redeveloped, determined by which objects players choose to pick up and utilize during gameplay.

Team 4 turned the High Line into Celebrity Race game to promote the idea that cities should be designed in ways that encourage residents to play. But players race had also to collect money to build a homeless shelter in the High Line space.

“The real world and the game world aren’t all that different,” said Tom Sullivan, who attended the event. “Walk through the streets of this city and you’re bound to meet dragons, see epic struggles taking place and get a whiff of magic.”

DDC students’ games will be on exhibit at Eyebeam through July 31 from noon to 6 p.m. daily.

From Wired.