The 2019-2020 edition of the Video Game Design project by Youth Fusion, in partnership with Ubisoft Education, ended online last June.
Offered to elementary and high school students, this project allows them to learn about technology, art and design by making complete video games from September to May. Young people go through all the stages of game development, learning how to use various technological tools and essential skills such as teamwork, creativity and critical thinking.
The Video Game Design project is taking place in collaboration with Ubisoft studios in Montreal, Quebec City and Saguenay, as well as in Toronto, Bordeaux and Paris. It has been going on for six years now thanks, among other things, to the collaboration of employees who are involved in training university students who act as project coordinators, mentoring groups of students and evaluating the games developed at the end of the project. In Quebec alone, 47 employees from the three studios were involved in the last year with 1,120 young people from across Quebec.
Catherine Rousseau, a cinematic animator at Ubisoft Montreal and mentor to two elementary school groups, says she was amazed by the students’ original game ideas. “The students were precise in their objectives, the construction of the systems, as well as in the visual and animation quality. This level of care and overview at their age amazed me.” Throughout the school year, she was able to exchange with them and found it inspiring to see them motivated by the field. “I’m happy that I was able to give them a boost and see them continue their momentum.”
With the end of the year turned upside down by COVID-19, the students still managed to deliver colourful, fun and entertaining games. Jean-Philippe Duval, a 2D-3D artist at Ubisoft Quebec, mentor and evaluator of some of the games produced at the high school level, was “simply impressed to see what the students managed to do, especially considering that most of them finished their games in confinement, at home, but always with the help of Youth Fusion. This shows how passion can get us through tough times! ” he says.
To see all the final game creations made by the participants, you can view online the final Youth Fusion events for this project in primary and secondary schools. Burning to try the games? Youth Fusion will host all the creations from the last year on its website by the start of the next school year. Get to your controllers!
