CENT News
CENT 101 Lifts Off: An Inside Look at Pittsburgh's Space Tech
Sept. 29, 2026
On Friday, September 25, 2026, the students of CENT 101 traded their typical classroom for the cosmos, launching into an immersive space tech adventure at the Moonshot Museum and Kamin Science Center. Joined by Daniel Steighner from the Moon2Mars foundation, a NASA collaborator dedicated to bringing outer space down to earth for local communities, the crew was ready for an out-of-this-world experience.
The journey kicked off at the Moonshot Museum. After a warm welcome from the staff, students were ushered into a hidden theater to learn the origin story of the museum and the Pittsburgh-based aerospace company, Astrobotic.
Then came the drumroll: the theater screen dramatically retracted to reveal the actual Astrobotic engineering floor. This is currently the only place in the area where the public can watch real engineers assembling real lunar landers and space equipment right before their eyes.
Following the big reveal, the students were turned loose in an interactive zone packed with astrophysics puzzles, problem-solving tasks, and hands-on technology challenges. Of course, no space mission is complete without proper ration. Everyone fueled up on classic freeze-dried Space Ice Cream before the next leg of the journey.
The mission concluded next door at the Kamin Science Center. Inside the historic Buhl Planetarium, students were treated to a completely different type of cosmic exploration: a mesmerizing blend of space theater and music. The stunning integration of sight and sound left the entire class awestruck, capping off a perfect Friday in the stars.
CENT 101 Students Fall Through the Looking Glass at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
On Friday, September 11, 2026, the students of CENT 101 didn't just go on a field trip—they stepped straight through the looking glass.
Our destination? The breathtaking Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which had been entirely transformed into the whimsical world of Alice in Wonderland. Woven together through vibrant botany and immersive soundscapes, the conservatory became a living, breathing narrative waiting to be explored.
Armed with minimal instructions, students were given a unique challenge: to simply observe. Stripped of rigid guidelines, they were encouraged to wander, get lost in the lush environments, and let the physical space speak to them.
Every curious glance and moment of discovery was captured beautifully by our talented photographers, Alyse Fay and Brianne Cupp, who documented the students as they navigated the conservatory's diverse and magical spaces.
This excursion was much more than a stroll through a garden; it was a masterclass in narrative design. The experience taught CENT 101 invaluable lessons about the intersection of nature and storytelling, specifically highlighting how to:
- Harness Organic Creativity: Drawing raw inspiration from physical, sensory environments to fuel imaginative ideas.
- Deconstruct Narrative Flow: Experiencing firsthand how a compelling storyline can be told through spatial design, sound, and flora rather than just text.
- Build Vast Worlds: Bridging the gap between physical inspiration and cutting-edge technology to craft immersive, whimsical storylines utilizing the power of AI and augmented reality.
By stepping into a classic storybook, the students left equipped with the creative tools necessary to build entirely new, sprawling worlds of their own.
CENT Students Immersed in Worlds of "Squid Games" and "Stranger Things" Using VR Technology
The CENT 101 class participated in immersive virtual reality games during a field trip to Sandbox VR. Read about the experience.
CENT 101 Class Showcases Tabletop and Virtual Reality Games
The CENT 101 class has spent the fall 2025 semester developing both tabletop and virtual reality versions of original games. Read about the showcase.
Esports Team Tapped to Playtest New Game
The Point Park esports team was asked to alpha-test a brand new game by Old Glory Studios. Read a full report of the unique experience.
CENT Students Create New Board Game to Demonstrate Immersive Storytelling Technique
Dec. 5, 2024
At CENT, gaming in all its forms is recognized as a prime example of experiential narrative. People don’t “play” a game as much as they “live” a game.
While the beauty of playing video games is the ability to experience many lives and enter many different worlds, the seeds of this immersion can be found in analog board games. To that end, students in CENT were tasked with creating an analog board game embodying the attributes of good game design and immersive storytelling mechanics.
At the start of this challenge, four CENT students, Saif Greco, AmiRae Lehr, Caleb Knox, and Lebrun Mitchell (pictured above) each pitched a game concept. Working with CENT Director Don Marinelli and Assistant Director Christopher Gaul, the group made the decision to pursue the game concept pitched by Saif Greco.
Titled “Elemental Clash,” the game features a world ruled by six primal forces: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, and Ether. At its genesis, these elements maintained a delicate balance between creation/destruction and light/darkness. Over time, powerful beings known as Elemental Guardians arose, each able to command one of these primal elements. World harmony, however, was fragile. Guardian ambitions grew, each seeking control over other realms. This desire for power plunged the world into chaos and internecine conflict allowed the Ether Guardian to seize control.
Players portray one of the Elemental Guardians, except the Ether. The game’s challenge is to journey across dangerous elemental pathways seeking to overcome the Ether Guardian. Striving to achieve this goal, players unlock ancient abilities, confront all manner of elemental forces — some helpful and others detrimental — while seeking to out-maneuver rival Guardians. Victory results in reclaiming your Guardian’s primal element, ascending to power, and affirming one's title, while bringing harmony back to the world.
What this team of four students achieved in three short weeks was nothing short of truly remarkable. But such is the mission of CENT.
Point Park Esports Holds First High School Rocket League Tournament
Nov. 8, 2024
One thing games and sports have in common is they are both examples of experiential narrative. They aren’t just played; they are experienced. Then, in retrospect, they are recalled as stories. Stories that often last a lifetime.
The advent of interactive digital media in the form of video games, especially esports, has heightened this experiential dynamic tremendously. The computer captures every move made in the course of a game, becoming a living legacy of decision-making, action, loss or triumph.
That is why the Center for Experiential Narrative (CENT) is focused so intently on young people engaged in esports, including our own University varsity team. To that end, CENT faculty, staff, and student members of our esports team were integrally involved in the first annual Point Park University Rocket League Esports High School Invitational held at the Rezzanine Game Center, Phoenix Luxury Cinema, in Bridgeville, PA., on Nov. 8, 2024.
Eight high schools, from as far east as Gettysburg, PA, competed not only for cash prizes but also to meet representatives from Point Park Admissions and Student Life. The event was immensely successful and the start of a new Point Park tradition.