Game on – Level Up Lab brings video gaming incubator to Baton Rouge

Gone are the days when only serious gamers played video games. Smart phones and social media have helped expand the audience and the platforms for digital interactive competition. The industry has grown at a fast clip and permeated popular culture. Hello, Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga.

Level Up Lab, a video gaming incubator housed in the Louisiana Tech Park, is doing its part to nurture the local gaming community and helping change the face of the Tech Park itself. Tech Park Executive Director Stephen Loy says, “When the park started, it was very cut-and-dried what technology was.” However, as technology advanced over the years, the development’s operators realized they needed to evolve with it.

After attending a few gaming conventions and seeing what was possible, Loy started asking how the park could staff and support what gaming was becoming. The answer is Level Up Lab.

Fully equipped with all the tools and technology needed to create gamesfrom an impressive sound recording room and green screen motion capture studio to the mentorships and business development resources it providesLevel Up teams look equipped for success.

And yet, the Tech Park environment could be its greatest asset. “The synergy that happens here with like-minded people is important,” says Jesse Hoggard, the park’s communications director. “Level Up Lab is a safe space to grow your ideaa supportive environment where someone can feel confident in stepping out and taking that risk to start their own company.”

Pixel Dash, a gaming company that is part of the Tech Park and predates Level Up Lab, credits the park for their success. “They helped us hit the ground running by providing expertise and resources for marketing and business development. The Tech Park staff serves as an extension of our team, and they constantly help us push forward with legitimacy, traction and opportunities for revenue,” says Pixel Dash co-founder and creative Director Evan Smith. In addition, Pixel Dash has been able to take full advantage of the hardware and software technologies of Level Up Lab. “There are very few high-tech incubators that truly focus on video game startups. The Level Up Lab serves as yet another unique resource at the Tech Park that is unparalleled in the region,” adds Smith.

Currently, the lab has three teams working on a variety of games, ranging from a platformer game inspired by retro games to an educational game and a musical adventure game.

Bit Finity, one of the three teams in the Lab, is working on the musical adventure game. Michael and Matthew Taranto, who grew up playing video games, founded the company. Matthew liked gaming so much he created an online comic, Brawl in the Family, that gained a following and now serves as the basis for the brothers’ first video game.

Tadpole Treble is their 12-level musical adventure game combining the Tarantos’ passion for music with their love of the classic bit-based gaming experience. The game’s character is a tadpole that maneuvers through musical notes being played within the various thematic environments of each level. Each is a different geographic environment with corresponding musical styles. For example, Thunder Creek has a Western feel to it, both visually and musically.

The Tarantos write and play the music and then design the level around it.

“It’s crucial to think about the game play elements when writing the music,” says Michael Taranto, who feels the audio-graphical immersion of their game brings it a unique quality.

The Taranto brothers and others are using Kickstarter campaigns to raise funds to finish their games and market them appropriately. The incubator’s resources and mentorship have been essential to the process, but like any good video game, the most exciting part is always the next level. leveluplab.com