IUPUI to show off elaborate game at Gen Con

A sprawling multiplayer "alternate reality" game featuring costumed performers, computer animation and a smartphone application will be a centerpiece of the annual Gen Con gaming convention that starts later this week in Indianapolis.

The game called "Return of Aetheria" was created by 40 students and six faculty at the Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI. The group worked eight months on the project.

The entire Indiana Convention Center will be the stage for the game, which uses video mapping and projectors that will create a large crystalline display showing the game results.

Gen Con has been held in Indianapolis since 2003 and drew 40,000 visitors in 2012. This year's four-day convention begins Thursday.