Hands-On Opportunities

There are plenty of events and opportunities available for Game Studio students to take part in, both in and out of the classroom. These opportunities have helped students to build skills beyond their major classes and form community networks of friends and future coworkers.

Events & Organizations

The Game Development Senior Show and Recruitment

At the end of the school year, Champlain hosts the Game Development Senior Show. This two-day event features a presentation night where all graduating seniors present their senior projects to the community, invited family, friends, and special guests. The presentations are followed by an exhibition and reception. Company recruiters are invited to attend, followed by recruitment interviews on the second day of the event.

Three men giving a presentation to a room full of students

Conferences

Each year Champlain College faculty and students attend a variety of conferences. The Montreal International Game Summit is our main outing. We also attend PAX East, SIGGRAPH, The Educational Game Summit, the Games for Change Conference, and the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Champlain and the Champlain College Game Developer’s Association (CCGDA) provide organization and some scholarships to these events.

Champlain College Game Developers Association

The CCGDA is an official chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA.org), a professional organization of game developers and educators. The CCGDA sponsors speakers and other professional events, runs the Global Game Jam, and organizes field trips to conferences. The CCGDA also has a town hall meeting at the beginning of each semester and hosts workshops to foster professional development.

Global Game Jam Weekend

Past Champlain College Game Studio students have taken part in and succeeded at the annual Global Game Jam event. Students usually meet on Champlain campus or at one of the Montreal sites to join in the event either virtually or in-person. The structure of a jam is that everyone gathers on Friday late afternoon, watches a short video keynote address with advice from leading game developers, and then a secret theme is announced. All sites worldwide are then challenged to make games based on that same theme, with games to be completed by Sunday afternoon.

Faculty conversing with students in a large room

Emergent Media Center

The Emergent Media Center (EMC) is an interactive media studio at Champlain College where students conceptualize, prototype, and produce a wide range of media to solve challenges brought by community partners.

With a focus on applied research and experimentation, the EMC uses novel applications of emerging technologies, immersive media, and human-centered design processes to design creative solutions in a multidisciplinary, student-focused format.

Through a paid position, work-study, or internship in the EMC, Game Studio students can be part of a team that uses game technologies and emergent media to integrate art and code with cultural awareness, creativity, and communication.

Learn More About the EMC

Seven Majors. One Experience

The Game Studio at Champlain College is the premier program for students looking to get a professional game development experience from day one of their education. Take major-specific classes and learn the skills and techniques that go into building your favorite games. Work as a team with other game students and construct fully functional games that you can download, play, and publish. By graduation, you’ll be prepared to succeed in a rewarding career in game development. At the Game Studio, we don’t simulate what game development could look like—we put you in the middle of the real game studio experience.

The Game Studio Experience

Interested in Learning More?

We’ll send you Game Studio info plus a game art poster designed by our students when you fill out this form.