Students at Broadview Entertainment Arts University (BEAU) have launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a video game with Track36 Studios, school officials announced.

The campaign, which launched on Wednesday July 30, is for "The Adventures of Sancho 'n' Rusimus," a side scrolling puppet video game that utilizes motion capture technology. The campaign will run for 30 days.
"This is a great opportunity for our students to showcase their talent while working with industry professionals from a variety of backgrounds," Mark Sorenson, game art program chair for BEAU, said in a statement. "As a local university, we are teaming up with a local motion capture studio to create something that could be big internationally."

The goal is to raise $30,000, which will be matched by Kickstarter. If funded, it would give current students first-hand experience in game development, including storyboarding, story lines, character and weapon creation, animation and texturing. Sound design students would also help with post-production sound, including soundtrack music and special effects.

The game features the puppets Sancho and Rusimus, two best friends who inherit an ancient arcade that ends up invading their dreams. Players guide Sancho and Rusimus through dream levels that play off their anxieties and fears. The game harnesses the power of motion capture technology and uses it to morph puppets into digitally-enhanced characters. It would initially be available exclusively for the video game console, OUYA, and possibly expand to Android, PC and Mac.

"We're looking forward to expanding on the Sancho and Rusimus universe by introducing their adventures that will allow people to create a personal connection with the characters," Russ Francis, founder of Track36 Studios, said in a statement. "We're excited to work on a game that can unite the entire family and promote the puppet world."

BEAU offers degrees in applied visual arts, production arts and business. The college is partnering with Track36 Studios, a premiere motion capture studio in Murray, Utah. Track36 focuses on body and face motion capture, animatics and animated film production.