Dionte Berry
Contributing Writer
dberry11@murraystate.edu
With campus closing and students practicing social distancing, there isn’t much to do. Some students have picked up unique hobbies to help the time go by. Junior journalism major Gage Simpson has kept himself busy with the creation of two video games.
The first one, Echoburn, and the second, Coaltucky, are both Simpson’s original ideas. To create the games, Simpson has had the help of some friends who do coding and work with computer game creating programs.
“Both of the programs are on the computer,” Simpson said. “We use Godot for Echoburn and Unreal 4 for Coaltucky.”
Simpson’s friends code the games while he has been the mind behind the game’s concepts.
“I don’t do any of the coding, but I do a lot of level, story and world designs,” Simpson said.
Despite Simpson working on both of the games at the same time, they have diverse concepts. He describes Echoburn as being comparable to Minecraft.
“Echoburn is an open-world game that will have players explore a galaxy similar to our own looking for resources and trading, along with some quests,” Simpson said. “The quests focus on fighting mercenaries or being one yourself.”
Simpson compares the concept of Coaltucky to Grand Theft Auto. Being a newer game, Simpson is still working on the concept.
“The game is far from complete and is mostly on the drawing boards,” Simpson said. “We plan to focus on an eastern Kentucky-esque area with a lot of humor and quests.”
Echoburn will be finished around fall 2021 and Coaltucky around winter 2022 or 2023. The games will be available on Steam and Itch.io.
While Simpson fills his time creating cool video games, senior public relations major Callie Smith has spent her time reading and fighting the urge to bake.
“I tend to bake a lot when I’m home for too long, and I’m sure that will set in soon,” Smith said.
Beyond finding hobbies to partake in, Smith has been trying to find a routine despite the transition from her apartment life to home life.
“I tried sticking to the routine I would do if I were in my apartment,” Smith said. “At home my whole family and their routine is different from mine, so I’m going with the flow for right now.”
As the Campus Correspondent and president of Her Campus, Smith was worried about how the Murray State chapter would be affected.
“Luckily for us, our requirements have been relaxed greatly,” Smith said. “If we miss a deadline or don’t get to post as much, we won’t be penalized.”
For Her Campus meetings, Smith relies on texting and email.
“We run smoothly over text and email, but I miss seeing everyone together in a room,” she said. “We’re planning to watch a movie together on Netflix Party sometime soon; I’m very excited about that.”
Smith was also worried about the transition to online classes, but it went better than she anticipated.
“My professors have been incredible and accommodating to our needs, and they are fast to reply to any questions I have, so I can’t really complain,” Smith said.
Beyond her new online campus life, Smith recognizes the mental health crisis occurring as a result of the nation’s current status. She advises people to take this transition day-by-day and find a routine that is comfortable.
“If staying up until 4 a.m. and waking up late makes you feel the best, like me, do it,” Smith said.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith was not able to study abroad.
“I was supposed to study abroad in Dijon, France, in May with one of my close friends,” she said. “I was bummed out, but I was thankful that the University put students’ health and safety first.”
Smith acknowledges the importance of letting yourself grieve over the loss of experiences and opportunities.
“If you have something to grieve such as graduation, study abroad or senior breakfast, you’re fully allowed to grieve,” Smith said. “The worst thing you can do is bottle it all up. Take care of yourself first.”