Hands on Opportunities in the Game Studio

There are plenty of events and opportunities both in and out of the classroom to help build skills beyond your major classes. Here, you can form community networks of friends and future coworkers.

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Two people skateboard on a halfpipe wearing motion sensors at the Game Developers Conference.

Experience is everything at Champlain College, and it’s baked into the way our Game Studio Experience operates. We get it, some of us would live and breathe games if we could—which is why we’ve got professional, academic, and personal opportunities to engage in whatever part of the industry you love. So have at it!

a group of game studio students unveiling their new game at the senior game show

The Senior Show & Recruitment

At the end of the school year, Champlain hosts the Senior Show. This two-day event kicks off with presentations from all graduating Game Studio seniors, showing off their final projects to invited friends, family, faculty, community members, and special guests. After eight teams of students have demoed their fully functional games to the audience, guests can try them out at a celebratory reception and exhibit. Each year, game company recruiters are invited to join us for presentations, exhibit, and reception, where they meet and mingle with graduating seniors. The second day is dedicated to networking and interviews between recruiters and students.

Check Out the Senior Show

Events & Organizations

  • game production management students mingling at a professional gaming convention
    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 Developers Conference in San Francisco (pictured above). Champlain and the Champlain College Game Developer’s Association (CCGDA) provide organization and some scholarships to these events.

  • illustration of the global game jam logo
    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.

game enthusiasts try new games at the senior game show

Champlain 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.

  • a student uses a drawing tablet to perform digital design
    State of the Art Tools and Software

    One of the perks of being taught by industry experts is that they make sure you have access to the right tools and technology being used right now by professional grade studios.

    As early as your first semester, you’ll start building the technical skills in game engine software like Unity and Unreal, and begin to understand how and when to use spaces in a level, construct an interface, establish moods, and direct a player’s attention through sound effects, lighting, camera angles, and text to create a complete working game.

  • man in front of a white board displaying multiple colored sticky notes talks to a group of colleagues
    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

More Inside Game Studio Experience

  • Game Studio Majors 

    In any of our seven Game Studio majors, you'll build relevant skills in your chosen area of game development, so that by graduation you'll be a collaborative team player with the professional experience needed to work in a studio.

  • Hands on Opportunities in the Game Studio 

    There are plenty of events and opportunities both in and out of the classroom to help build skills beyond your major classes. Here, you can form community networks of friends and future coworkers.

  • Game Studio Faculty 

    Learn from the very best in Champlain’s Game Studio Experience, collaborating with faculty practitioners with years of practical experience in a complex industry.

  • Game Studio Portfolio 

    Explore our curated collection of student work featuring character sketches, environment renderings, design mock-ups, sizzle reels, and more.

  • Game Senior Show 

    The Game Studio’s Senior Show demonstrates what it means to be Champlain Ready. Every year, the show highlights the collaborative work of the studio's graduating class, which presents eight fully functional games.

Are You Ready?

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