Liverpool college students provide motion capture for Vstars VR dance game

Dance students at The City of Liverpool College have been recruited to help produce a forthcoming virtual reality dance game.

Cheshire-based independent studio Vstars, founded in the 1990s, is making the game with the college's T-level programming students, who are building their technical skills on a live project.

The studio is also working with dance and performing arts students, whose moves are captured and built digitally into parts of the game.

All the work is taking place at the college's motion capture facilities, which allow Vstars to develop high-end products more cheaply than in a traditional setup.

Students gain experience of working with a games studio, giving them a realistic picture of the industry and improving their employability if they choose to pursue it. Vstars, in turn, gets access to the facilities at a fraction of the usual market rate.

Tracy Johnson, founder and managing director of Vstars, said: “Getting students from multiple disciplines on-board with the project has been so gratifying to see. The games industry can be a tough place as it is hard and detail-heavy rather than being an outlet for pure creativity, but the students’ attitudes have been first class.

“The college’s leadership team’s enthusiasm for our collaboration has also been wonderful, and their credibility in the industry can only help us going forward.”

Chris Butler, from the college's Digital Academy, said: “We have been delighted to see the results of all our T-level and performing arts students working so closely together with Vstars.

“This kind of collaboration is vital in today’s education ecosystem as it makes the students more rounded and confident when it comes to them joining a competitive job market. The experience that they gain gives them a foothold that is the foundation stone of their whole careers.”