DeVry University Students Create Digital Games for Travelers at O’Hare Airport

DeVry University Students Create Digital Games for Travelers at O’Hare Airport
Eight digital games were developed by more than 30 DeVry University students in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation

NAPERVILLE, Ill.: Traveling through Chicago O’Hare International Airport during spring break? Travelers can stop by the Fly with Butch O’Hare family lounge, located near Gate F3 in Terminal 2. In addition to a play area for children, the lounge has custom-designed video games for young and adult travelers alike that were created and developed by DeVry University students in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Eight digital games were developed by more than 30 DeVry students as part of the university’s senior class projects since 2017, with three games recently added in August 2019. DeVry students complete a senior class project as part of their graduation requirements, and students in the Chicagoland area who are majoring in computer information systems have the unique opportunity to develop or update games for the Fly with Butch O’Hare lounge as their senior class project.

“I am a disabled veteran who decided to go back to school because I could no longer perform my duties in my previous job,” said Angel Gomez, who worked on the Fly with Butch O’Hare project his senior year and is expected to graduate this month with a degree in computer information systems.When I was selected to be on the Fly with Butch O'Hare project, I was as proud as when I served my country in the Panama War. Our senior project taught me how it is to actually work with a real client, and to me the experience was invaluable and a great honor.”

All eight video games available in the Butch O’Hare family lounge were created by DeVry students, including:

  • Luggage Hopper (like Frogger)
  • Shop Drop (like Angry Birds)
  • Hungry Traveler (like Pac Man)
  • Airport Trivia
  • Flying Game
  • Memory Game
  • Sliding Puzzle
  • Stacking Game

“Our senior class projects are designed for students to gain real-world experiences, and the O’Hare project has been an excellent collaboration for our students and university alike,” said Nana Liu, Ph.D., senior professor of the College of Engineering and Information Sciences. “Students have the opportunity to collaborate on innovative ideas and creative solutions for building and creating games that will be played by thousands of travelers for years to come.”

DeVry University offers associate, bachelor and master degree programs, online or at one of its 45+ locations nationwide.