The Sims: In the Hands of Artists Contest Winners Announced
Guests at the 79 Gallery buzzed with excitement as The Sims: In the Hands of Artists exhibition was
unveiled. The show, which was also a contest sponsored by Electronic Arts, featured student art
based on the
The Sims, a life simulation game series.
As guests and participants eagerly anticipated the announcement of the winners, they marveled
at the diverse entries from a wide range of departments, including Fashion, Animation, Fine Art,
Industrial Design and more. A student rock band, Murder of Lilies, provided live music. At last,
Jack Lew of Electronic Arts and Mary Beth Haggerty of
The Sims division announced the winners.
Student Band Murder By Lilies
Aaron Sampson, who worked with Kaiyi Wong, Yue Xia and Barry Ambrosio, won first place in the
machinima (a technique that uses a game engine to produce stop motion animation) category. He said
that winning motivated him even more to produce great work. Aaron and his group based their
characters on Academy of Art University student stereotypes: Slacker, Straight “A” Student, Anime
Girl, and Fashionista.
Machinima first place winners with Jack Lew, Mary Beth Haggerty
and Dr. Elisa Stephens.
“It [winning] also made me realize there is a way to do art and potentially get paid for it,”
said Aaron, who is graduating this summer with an MFA in Computer Arts: New Media.
Adam Hiler, an Automotive Design student, won first place in the Open Media category. He
designed a car that could be changed to fit each unique Sims’ personality. Taking some important
themes from the game, the car emphasized customization, interchangeability and extreme
entertainment.
“I really was stunned and surprised when I heard my name. I am just thankful and glad that
other people saw my vision and appreciated it,” said Adam, who plans on using his $2,500 prize
money to purchase a new computer so that he can continue to develop his skills.
Tom Matano, Director of Industrial Design and Adam Hiler with
Adam’s Winning Project
Shawna Chan, who won second place in the Open Media category, also used the theme of
customization in her entry.
“The ability to customize characters in
The Sims 2 inspired me to use my own family as a source of
inspiration in the designs and personalities of my characters,“ she said.
Overall, the night was one of celebration as all of the participants’ hard work was
appreciated and admired.
“Winning is always good. Being recognized is even better. The four of us didn't expect a
first place award, seriously, which made it sweeter and of course made all the hard work
worthwhile,” said Barry Ambrosio.
A complete list of winners is as follows:
Machinima Category
First Place: $5,000
Aaron Sampson
Kaiyi Wong
Yue Xia
Barry Ambrosio
Second Place: $2,000
Scot Adams
Olivia Hidajat
Third Place: $1,000
Nathaniel Henderson
Open Media Category
First Place: $2,500
Adam Hiler
Second Place: $1,500
Shawna Chan |
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Academy of Art University The SIMS: In the Hands of Artists will be on display through July
19 at the Academy of Art University 79 Gallery, located at 79 New Montgomery St.
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