Playing With Plasma

I really don't know what to make of this turn of events. Educators and parents worldwide (probably)have decried the fascination with video gaming and the amount of time kids spend "waste" on such pursuits. Is it possible that there will soon be a master's degree in computer science with gaming as its focus? Yep. George Mason University is pondering such a move even as we speak. Where's MIT in all of this, you ask? Right there. That prestigious university offers a degree based on research in video game technology. It seems that ITT Tech (doesn't one of the T's in ITT stand for "tech"?) will be losing ground very soon, and their D&D players will be moving on. Like many things, I would never have known this except reporters from the Washington Post who "discovered" Stephen Taylor.
Taylor is a senior at George Mason University who created "Plasma Pong" in his spare time. When he posted it online, there were over 50,000 hits JUST AT GMU! In fact, the university eventually made him take the site down because it slowed everything to a virtual halt on campus. You really have to see this to believe it.
This game is a psychedelic version of the first computer game most of us played: "Pong." In order to create such a thing, Taylor had to know a LOT about algorithms, fluid dynamics and computer coding...obviously an area in which you and I lack knowledge. It's like playing table tennis in a lava lamp, complete with fiery explosions and sound effects. Wired.com listed this as one of the top five indie games. From the demo I saw on the Washington Post online version, this is far cooler than the "Pong" version that featured Bill Clinton's head as the ball...though that WAS cool.
Needless to say, Taylor has a huge hit on his hands, and the money will soon be rolling in. I would suspect as well, that being in something of an "altered state" while playing would only add to the "WOW!" factor. "Spaced-Out Invaders"in the plasma format cannot be far behind.
Game on!