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The Game Designer & Game Developer

Got Game? Don’t Just PLAY games. CREATE them!

Create and design your own arcade, platform, RPG, FPS, or iPhone^® games! Or build game levels and models in our game modding and 3D modeling courses. Video games comprise a $20 billion industry, and growing. The game industry jobs of tomorrow? Game design, art and animation, writing, music production, graphics programming, project management, marketing, testing, technical support, distribution and more. Learn from adult-only staff passionate about video game design. There is a maximum of just 8 students per instructor. Guaranteed.

JUMP TO VIDEO GAME DESIGN COURSES AT:
iD Tech Camps (Ages 7-17) | iD Gaming Academy (Ages 13-18) | iD Programming Academy (Ages 13-18) | Weekend Stays
 

AGES 7-17 | WEEKLONG COURSES | BEGINNER – ADVANCED | WELL-BALANCED TECH + CAMP ACTIVITIES

	ADVENTURES IN GAME DESIGN Ages 7-10 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS Don’t just play games! Make them! Create your own video game in this fun, stimulating video game camp for kids. Design your very own Arcade or Platform game using Clickteam® Multimedia Fusion 2 Developer® and Adobe® Photoshop®. Take breaks with supervised outside play, sports and techtivities.
	GAME DESIGN & GRAPHIC ARTS HYBRID Ages 8-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS Sample two awesome topics in one course. Start by creating your own Arcade or Platform game, then design a custom package for your game. Using Clickteam® Multimedia Fusion 2 Developer®, Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator®, you’ll not only learn game design, but graphic art fundamentals as well. This hybrid camp is perfect for students interested in sampling two courses.
	3D GAME DESIGN – RACING GAMES Ages 8-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | SELECT LOCATIONS New Software! Design a racing game utilizing the comprehensive toolset of TrackMania United® and the awesome new TrackMania² Canyon® and design a variety of track types and modify sleek custom cars. Customize a world of tracks with loops, wall rides, ramps and stunts. You’re in for the ride of your life! TrackMania offers both a deep single-player mode as well as endless multi-player challenges across a world-wide community of racers, ranked by the game’s ladder system. Take home access to free copy of the games, along with your custom track designs and car mods. ESRB Rating: E for Everyone.
	NEW! ROLE-PLAYING GAME DESIGN WITH RPG MAKER® Ages 9-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | MOST LOCATIONS Create a dungeon-crawling, monster-battling, world-traveling epic adventure with RPG Maker®! RPG Maker® is a massively popular RPG development tool–user-friendly for beginners, but powerful enough for advanced game developers. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, RPG Maker’s® extensive library of characters and tile-based environments will have you creating fantastic RPG worlds, maps and awesome heroes. Take home your custom role-playing game for you and your friends to put to the test.
	NEW! 3D GAME DESIGN WITH MINECRAFT Ages 9-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS With millions of players worldwide, Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in history! Whether you are a veteran or new to the game, this is your chance to explore, build, and develop new skills! Learn how to host your own server for your classmates , install and manage Minecraft mods, and accelerate your Minecraft creation skills. Put your construction skills to the test with individual and team-based 3D design challenges. Finish up by designing and building your own roller coaster, then publish your very own Minecraft map!
	NEW! FPS GAME DESIGN Ages 10-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS The Storm is brewing! Create your own 3D playground in this revolutionary FPS (First-Person Shooter) multiplayer adventure. The groundbreaking ShootMania® Storm features unique laser weapons and innovative game mechanics that will keep students engaged—without the violence typically associated with FPS games. Take home your custom-built maps and video snapshots (using machinima editing tools) of your best in-game moves.
	3D LEVEL DESIGN – PORTAL™ 2 Ages 10-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT SELECT LOCATIONS Loaded with devious puzzles and an ingenious teleportation device, Portal™ 2 uses a non-violent, groundbreaking approach to the first-person game genre. This thrilling sequel to the award-winning original Portal™ from Valve® features an awesome puzzle editor so you can stump your friends with a custom Portal™ 2 mod. Take home your modding project and a Steam® account with a complimentary copy of Portal™ 2. ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+
	GAME DESIGN FOR iPHONE® & iPAD® Ages 10-12 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS What if you could design and build a game to play on your Apple® iPhone® or iPad®?  You can! With GameSalad® software and its user-friendly toolset, you’ll be able to build electrifying arcade style video games. Note: If you’d like us to try to download your game to your iOS device, it must be officially supported and updated to the latest software version. iD is NOT responsible for lost, damaged or stolen equipment.
	FENCING & VIDEO GAME CREATION Ages 10-12 | BEGINNER – INTERMEDIATE FENCING WEEKLONG | STANFORD UNIVERSITY ONLY Our exclusive Stanford Athletics partnership, now in its 11th season, offers a uniquely blended experience. Spend half the day in the iD Tech Camps lab learning Video Game Creation and the other half learning Fencing from Stanford coaches.
	NEW! FENCING & LEVEL DESIGN WITH MINECRAFT Ages 13-15 | BEGINNER – INTERMEDIATE FENCING WEEKLONG | STANFORD UNIVERSITY ONLY Our exclusive Stanford Athletics partnership, now in its 11th season, offers a uniquely blended experience. Spend half the day in the iD Tech Camps lab learning level design for video games with Minecraft and the other half learning Fencing from Stanford coaches.
	NEW! MINECRAFT – GAME MODDING & JAVA CODING Ages 13-17 | INTERMEDIATE – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS Prerequisite: Solid understanding of a programming language such as Java, C++, or PHP. This is not a beginner course. You’ve played the internet phenomenon Minecraft, now code in it! First, brush up on your Minecraft creation skills then dive right into making your own mods while programming in Java! Create your own blocks, program your own recipes, make your own custom armor set and more! Play test your modifications with your fellow classmates and wrap up your week publishing your mods.
	3D GAME DESIGN – ROLE-PLAYING GAMES Ages 13-17 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS Imagine designing your very own Role-Playing Game (RPG), building terrain and adding creatures! Battle strategies, enchanted medieval characters and secret quests await you. Create your own virtual world with rich stories, complex environments, models, dungeons and buildings. Get access to a free copy of the game, along with the custom designs you created during the week. ESRB Rating: Teen
	FPS GAME DESIGN-UNREAL® DEVELOPMENT KIT Ages 13-17 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS Use the pro-level Unreal® Development Kit (UDK), the powerful engine behind Unreal Tournament® 3 and the Gears of War® series of games. In this first-person shooter (FPS), you will design 3D levels with custom geometry, employing a variety of textures, meshes and dynamic lighting. Learn visual scripting with Unreal Kismet, changing gameplay conditions and event triggers.ESRB Rating: Mature
	NEW! 3D LEVEL DESIGN – PORTAL™ 2 & TEAM FORTRESS®2 Ages 13-17 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT MOST LOCATIONS Flex your modding muscle with groundbreaking Portal™ 2 and Team Fortress® 2 from Valve®. Sculpt environments, manipulate lighting, add particle effects, re-skin characters and create new storylines with the celebrated Source®2 engine and Hammer editor. Take home your modding project and a Steam® account with full access to Portal™ 2 and Team Fortress® 2. ESRB Ratings: Everyone 10+ and Mature, respectively.
	AUTODESK® MAYA® – 3D MODELING & ANIMATION Ages 13-17 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT SELECT LOCATIONS Learn the premier 3D modeling, animation, effects and rendering software package on the market. Use the industry standard, intuitive tool set featured in Autodesk® Maya® and build your own 3D models and characters. Get an introduction to character animation. Autodesk® Maya® is used by top game development and film studios. Take home your new portfolio.
	NEW! GAME DESIGN FOR APPLE® iOS® & ANDROID™ WITH UNITY Ages 13-17 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED WEEKLONG | OFFERED AT SELECT LOCATIONS Design and develop your very own mobile game with the power of the Unity game development tool—the most popular game development tool for independent game developers. The engine is accessible to beginners but powerful enough for professionals. Unity offers a multi-platform engine to create a game where you can import art assets and build gameplay mechanics. Will the next blockbuster mobile game have your name on it? Note: If you’d like us to try to download your game to your iOS or Android™ device, it must be officially supported and updated to the latest software version. iD is NOT responsible for lost, damaged or stolen equipment.

AGES 13-18 | 2 WEEKS | BEGINNER – ADVANCED | INTENSIVE PRE-COLLEGE CURRICULUM | OVERNIGHT ONLY

	iD GAME STUDIOS 101 Ages 13-18 | BEGINNER – INTERMEDIATE 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Discover the excitement of the professional game creation process, learning two foundational components of game development. Create original 3D art assets with Autodesk® Maya®, the industry-standard modeling application, then build your game mechanics with the Unreal® Development Kit, the pro-level game engine behind numerous blockbuster gaming titles. Take home your new portfolio. This is a beginner through intermediate level course.
	3D MODELING & ANIMATION WITH AUTODESK® MAYA® Ages 13-18 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Create stunning, high-resolution 3D game environments, characters, vehicles and weapons using Autodesk® Maya®, the industry-standard application used by top game development and film studios. Digitally sculpt details into your models using Autodesk® Mudbox® for added realism. You’ll also learn the foundation of character rigging and how to make a character walk and jump. Learn what the pros use. Build a portfolio to take home.
	3D LEVEL DESIGN – UNREAL® DEVELOPMENT KIT Ages 13-18 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Use what the pros use—the Unreal® Development Kit (UDK)—the powerful engine behind Unreal Tournament® 3 and the Gears of War® series of games. UDK offers all the tools you need to create great games, advanced visualizations and detailed 3D simulations. Harness the power of the intuitive UDK interface as you create your own levels and import game assets. Take home your new portfolio.
	GAME DEVELOPMENT FOR iPHONE® & ANDROID™ WITH UNITY Ages 13-18 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Design and build mobile games using the power of the Unity game development tool—the most popular game development tool for independent game developers. Import art assets, build interface and gameplay mechanics, finesse gameplay, and export your game to your iPhone® or Android™ device. Will the next blockbuster game have your name on it?  Note:  If you’d like us to try to copy your game to your iOS or Android™ device, it must be officially supported and updated to the latest software version.  iD is not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen equipment.
	NEW! GAME DEVELOPMENT – MINECRAFT Ages 13-18 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Learn the dynamics of game development in the ever-expanding world of Minecraft. Start by learning Java fundamentals along with Minecraft tools and techniques. Once you’ve set the foundation, it will be time to start building. Utilize game design strategies and create compelling levels while reinforcing your new Java skills by programming Minecraft mods, including custom blocks or armor sets.
	PROGRAMMING FOR XBOX 360® Ages 13-18 | INTERMEDIATE – ADVANCED 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Prerequisite: Solid understanding of a programming language such as Java, C, C#, C++, or PHP. This is not a beginner course. Design and program your own game to challenge your friends on your Xbox 360®! Starting with an introduction to C# programming using Microsoft® Visual Studio® Express, you’ll learn how to deploy the groundbreaking XNA® Framework from Microsoft®, developing arcade style games for delivery on your PC or Xbox 360®. Didn’t think you could create games for an advanced gaming console? Think again!

AGES 13-18 | 2 WEEKS | BEGINNER – ADVANCED | INTENSIVE PRE-COLLEGE CURRICULUM | OVERNIGHT ONLY

	NEW! MODDING & PROGRAMMING WITH MINECRAFT Ages 13-18 | BEGINNER – ADVANCED 2-WEEKS | INTENSIVE | SELECT LOCATIONS Discover the powerful world of Java coding using Minecraft as your sandbox! Java is one of the most relevant, in-demand programming languages on the job market today, and is the development language for one of the most popular games in existence, Minecraft! Learn Java skills applicable to engineering, development, 3D rendering and more, all while creating and coding your own custom mod of Minecraft!

Weekend Stays

	ULTIMATE GAMING WEEKENDS Ages 12-18 | SELECT LOCATIONS WEEKEND BRIDGE BETWEEN OVERNIGHT SESSIONS Tear it up with non-stop LAN parties. Hone strategies against other students or instructors, or collaborate in teams for bigger challenges. Not a serious gamer? We’ve got you covered! You can take it easy in the labs, play retro games, read a book, play outdoor sports or just keep a low profile.