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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2007

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The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division Student Robert Florio Chosen to Judge 'Accessible' Video Game Design Competition at the 2007 Game Developers Conference

Industry Leaders Competing to Create Best Video Game for Quadriplegic Players

PITTSBURGH, PA - Robert Florio, an advocate for accessible video gaming and a Game Art & Design student at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division, was asked to participate as a judge at this year's Game Developers Conference March 5 - 9 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

Robert Florio, who is quadriplegic, will be judging a session called, 'Accessibility Idol,' a competition that is based on the reality show, 'American Idol' at this year's Game Developers Conference. Instead of singing, this event pits five leading game designers (Sheri Grander Ray, Ernest Adams, Noah Falstein, Brenda Brathwaite, and Sam Lewis) against each other to create the best game design for a gamer who is quadriplegic.

The Game Developers Conference is where game development professionals gather to share ideas and explore the emerging technologies of the games industry. "Our hope is that this will be a huge step forward in accessible game design," Florio said. "We not only want to create awareness, but also (provide) a stepping stone for the game industry to start creating games that gamers with physical impairments can enjoy."

Judges will put together guidelines for the participants according to the special needs they have when it comes to playing video games. At competition time they'll listen to each contestant, review the games, and judge them on accessibility and entertainment value.

All judges, including Florio, are active members of the International Game Developers Association's (IGDA) Game Accessibility Special Interest Group (SIG). Each year, the IGDA awards 25 scholarships to send qualified students to the Game Developers Conference. Florio, who was a winner last year, is an active leader of the Game Accessibility SIG and a very devoted game design student.

After a diving accident that left Florio paralyzed at age 14, he learned to express himself through art, using his mouth to draw and paint. He later combined his talent and his love for video games into a life goal to earn a bachelor's degree in Game Art & Design and create accessible video games for people with disabilities. "I see myself as a good representative of this target market," Florio said. "I know first hand how important it is for people like me to have accessible games."

The Game Accessibility SIG was formed to help the game community strive toward creating mainstream games that are universally accessible to all, regardless of disability. "Games are an important cultural and quality of life resource that should be accessible to all gamers," said Michelle Hinn, Chairperson of SIG. "With Robert's help, we hope to bridge the knowledge gap about how to increase the accessibility of mainstream games that exists between individuals with disabilities and game developers and publishers."

About the Game Developers Conference

The Game Developers Conference is the official trade event of computer, console, mobile, arcade, online games, and location-based entertainment, and attracts over 12,500 attendees. The conference provides educational, networking, and business opportunities for game development professionals driving the $11 billion video-game industry.

About The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division, delivers education in the creative arts through the Internet, extending the opportunity for learning to all students desiring classes by eliminating geographic, lifestyle, or physical constraints. With online courses designed using the same curriculum delivered on ground through The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division offers associate's and bachelor's degree programs in Graphic Design and Web Design & Interactive Media; bachelor's degree programs in Advertising, Fashion & Retail Management, Game Art & Design, Interior Design, and Media Arts & Animation; a bachelor's degree completion program in Culinary Management; and diploma programs in Digital Design, Residential Planning, and Web Design. For more information about The Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division, call 1-877-872-8869 or visit http://www.aionline.edu.

About The Art Institutes

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is one of The Art Institutes (http://www.artinstitutes.edu), with 34 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion, and culinary arts professionals.