About three quarters of a decade ago, back when I was still a young and impressionable college student, the study of game design was somewhat underwhelming. It used to consist mostly of hardcore enthusiasts, a few inter-class groups and haphazardous attempts to produce weather effects. To put it bluntly, game design used to be something that was best left to the professionals.

While I've met my share of students turned famous game developers during the last few conventions, I think I've always subconsciously saw them as professionals at the field. It was only during my recent visit to the New York University for the Game Center's Open House that I found myself realizing that students in the field these days are really capable of nifty things.

Created over the course of a semester, Grav is the collective effort of a four-man student team from New York University. Instead of going for something more complex, Grav seems focused on a more arcade feel. The objective here is simple: fly through a forcefield-contained asteroid field, collect crystals, accumulate points and try not to die. It doesn't break any new grounds but it's surprisingly pretty for a student project. Looking somewhat like a mix of Ratchet & Clank and Freelancer, Grav's greatest strength is, perhaps, the fact the team has done well at representing the expansive nature of space. The gravity beam that serves as your only weapon is also an intriguing touch - I can't help but want to see it expanded upon so as to be able to telekinetically wield a large asteroid.

I'm somewhat ambivalent about the fact that Grav isn't exactly up for public play right now. It's a reasonably polished package but definitely not one of the best things I've seen. However, it's a pretty nice reminder that game design education has come a long way indeed. Needless to say, I also have massive hopes for the people behind it.