If your teen has shown interest in a career in GAMES

OR

...is curious about how games are made...

Come join us. We're going to...

• build a mini-game   

• look behind the scenes at how industry professionals do their creative work

• map out a plan to LEVEL UP skills over the summer

GAMES are so much more than coding.

STORY CREATION, ART DESIGN, GAMEPLAY... 

Don't waste your summer hours just playing GAMES... Learn how to design them.  

FAQs...

1. Age of teens to participate? 

14 - 16 years old (will accept mature 13 and game design interested 17) 

2. Time commitment for this challenge? 

The challenge runs 5 days plus a Bonus day.

Each evening (June 9th - 14th)...

• Parent session is at 5pm PST. 

• Teen session is 5:30pm PST. 

• For those who purchased the extra  coaching (Backstage Pass)  is 6:15-7:15 PST. 

• Each evening there will be short assignments toward our collective game build and might take 20-40 min. 

3. Where does this challenge take place? 

In ZOOM, (but so much more FUN than school-zoom) with the replays available on an event page.  

Work and feedback shared in a DISCORD community.

4. What if my teen isn't sure they want to go into game design? 

This is a GREAT opportunity to explore what "GAME DESIGN" really is and what working in it would be like.

Frequently we don't get to experience a workplace before choosing it. This challenge will let them see and hear what creatives in the game design industry do on a daily/weekly basis. They will also get to try doing the different aspects of game design to see if they enjoy it. 

If at the end they determine, "This workplace is NOT for me." GREAT! They now have some clarity.  Part of moving forward as a teen is deciding on a future they could get excited about.  Imagine the time and money saved because they know this now. 

If at the end they determine, "I LOVE game writing." GREAT! They now have some clarity AND...

• A clear direction to guide their path

• Motivation for learning, because they know WHY

• Specific skills to focus on developing over the summer and with free time.  

5. My teen doesn't have any coding experience... will this be a problem? 

There is so much more to game design than just coding! We are addressing the story creation, art design, and gameplay aspects of game design. NONE of these require any coding knowledge or experience. 

6. Is a career in game design a viable choice? I'm unsure about encouraging this direction for my teen. 

I can understand the hesitation so let me share some information with you. 

• For the past 5 years, the gaming industry bypassed the movie industry in global revenue.

• Gaming was a $160 billion industry in 2020 and is expected to climb to $200 billion by 2023. 

• Board games were a $3 billion industry in 2020. 

The game design industry is exploding and definitely a viable choice for a career direction. 

However, it is also competitive. Therefore the earlier an individual starts developing their skills, building a portfolio, and making connections the better.

This is a GREAT PLACE to explore the field of GAME DESIGN as well as develop the skills needed to be successful there. Come join us!!!