Devil’s Tuning Fork (DTF), a PC game created by students in DePaul University’s Computer Game Development program, has been named a finalist in the Independent Games Festival (IGF)’s international competition for university and trade school students. The innovative 3D game, based on echolocation or the sound signals used for navigation by dolphins and bats, showcases DePaul’s multidisciplinary approach to game development, with a winning mix of solid design, visuals and interesting game play.

DePaul University’s entry was created by 15 students in the school’s Computer Game Development Program. Ten finalists were selected from 190 entries from game science programs all over the world.

DePaul currently has 205 undergraduates and 25 graduates enrolled in its game program, and offers both programming and production and design tracks. The school is known for having a high percentage of faculty that are either former or actual game industry professionals.

“Devil’s Tuning Fork’s achievement makes us very proud of both our faculty members and students,” David Miller, Dean, College of Computing and Digital Media, said. “The game is creative and really fun to play. We knew it was special when we saw the final product, but the degree of positive attention the game has garnered caught us all by surprise.”

The student team, called the DePaul Game Elites, began development in June and finished DTF in just five months.

The grand prize for student games will be awarded at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco on March 11, 2010.

Devil’s Tuning Fork can be downloaded for free at DevilsTuningFork.com.