Local Students Build Arcade-Style Red Panda Game for Maryland Zoo

The Maryland Zoo now hosts a new desktop game titled "Red Panda Rush" on its website. The title was developed by three students from the George Washington Carver Center for Arts & Technology in Baltimore County.

Martin Burgunder, a senior, led the project as part of a class assignment. He enlisted classmates Isaac Sigrist and Jack Feldges to handle the art and animation. The group pitched the concept to zoo officials after seeing the animals arrive in June.

The game features an old-school arcade aesthetic. Players use their keyboards to guide a red panda character as it runs and jumps over obstacles. The software is currently available only on desktop computers and has not been adapted for mobile devices.

Burgunder has volunteered at the Maryland Zoo for more than three years. He said he viewed the arrival of the new animals as a way to merge his interest in volunteering with his skills in game design.

The game centers on Ember and Aurora, two red pandas that moved into the zoo's Main Valley habitat this summer. Their arrival marked the first time in over 30 years that the facility introduced a new animal species alongside a newly built habitat.

Burgunder noted, "When I heard about the Zoo receiving red pandas, I saw it as an opportunity to combine my passions in volunteering and game design."