Peek Behind The Curtain With ETC’s 2024 Fall Festival

ETC Director Derek Ham plays one of the student games with his family
ETC Director Derek Ham plays one of the student games with his family

On December 6th, 2024, members of the ETC and CMU community gathered together to celebrate the incredible work ETC students have done this semester.

Fall Festival is an ETC tradition. Started by Randy Pausch as part of the Building Virtual Worlds course, it was originally a stage showcase in McConomy Auditorium before eventually taking the shape of an invitation-only carnival that takes over the entire ETC building.

A guest at Festival enjoys an experience in the Green Screen Room
A guest at Festival enjoys an experience in the Green Screen Room

Festival spotlights not just the work first-year students do in Building Virtual Worlds but also the projects they created in other Immersion Semester courses like Visual Story. Second-year students also get a chance to show off the projects they’ve been working on all semester, in addition to the interactive experiences they’ve developed in courses like Experience Design.

Guests spent the evening enjoying the interactive experiences, games, student projects, and short films student teams created during the Fall Semester. You can learn more about the work on display on the 2024 Festival website, which also includes a recording of the livestream. 

First-year ETC student Nina Gamboni helps to fit a guest with a VR headset
First-year ETC student Nina Gamboni
helps to fit a guest with a VR headset
A Festival guest wearing a VR headset makes their way through a student-created immersive experience
A Festival guest wearing a VR headset makes their way through a student-created immersive experience
Second-year ETC student Eva Chang walks guests through the project she produced this semester, Step Up
Second-year ETC student Eva Chang walks guests through the project she produced this semester, Step Up
ETC Assistant Teaching Professor Jonathan Walton plays a student-made game with his daughter
ETC Assistant Teaching Professor Jonathan Walton plays a student-made game with his daughter
ETC Director of Marketing and Admissions Rebecca Lombardi talks with Festival guests
ETC Director of Marketing and Admissions Rebecca Lombardi talks with Festival guests
In the CAVERN, Festival guests enjoy an immersive short film made by the students in Pulp-Free Studio
In the CAVERN, Festival guests enjoy an immersive short film made by the students in Pulp-Free Studio
Second-year ETC students Eva Chang and Tyler Wang play a game made by their fellow students
Second-year ETC students Eva Chang and Tyler Wang play a game made by their fellow students
Guests show off their Festival “passport” at the end of the evening, stamped by each project they visited
Guests show off their Festival “passport” at the end of the evening, stamped by each project they visited