8 Game Design Summer Programs for High School Students
If you are a high school student interested in learning about how video games are made, a game design program might be worth considering during your summer break!
Game design has quickly become a popular career choice. It is a broad field that uses computer science, animation, and graphic design fundamentals to develop interfaces and software for video or digital games. A game design program can help you explore these fundamentals and discover their real-world applications by allowing you to work on new concepts for video games.
You will also be able to develop skills like programming, graphic design, animation, character and world-building, and storyboarding, which are key for pursuing a career in the field of game design. Apart from being a worthwhile learning experience, a game design program can be a great way to explore your interest in the field before committing to a college degree. Additionally, the experience can boost your profile and college applications, demonstrating to recruiters and admissions teams your willingness to learn beyond the school curriculum.
Here we have listed 8 game design summer programs for high school students to help you get started:
Location: Online
Cost: $3,050 | Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: Students in grades 8–11 who have completed a pre-algebra course can apply.
Application deadline: Applications typically close at the end of March.
Program dates: Multiple two-week sessions run in the summer.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes is a two-week virtual opportunity for students to experience an in-depth exploration of a subject. You can choose one out of 60 courses while applying. The Game Design course brings together fields of computer science, design, and engineering and covers approaches, fundamental design philosophies, and skills required for developing games. During the program, you will also learn how to communicate design ideas and game descriptions, analyze what makes a game enjoyable by assessing player behavior, and see first-hand how a designer’s choices impact players. The course also covers in brief the history of game development. The program is conducted through daily two-hour online classes and out-of-class learning assignments, which include readings, group work, and pre-recorded lectures.
Through this experience, you might develop a better understanding of how games are developed in a studio as well as the process of testing design ideas through prototyping and playtesting.
Location: New York University’s Brooklyn campus, NY
Cost: $13,643, which includes tuition, housing, and meals. Check the detailed cost breakdown here before applying. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors can apply.
Application deadline: December 2, 2024Program dates: TBA, but the program typically runs from July to August.
NYU Tisch School of Arts’ Summer High School Game Design Program is a four-week residential intensive for high school students interested in game development and design. During the program, you will explore disciplines related to modern game development, mainly game design, programming, visual art, animation, sound design, and writing.
The program focuses on enhancing game literacy and overall understanding of game design by covering underlying principles of the field and allowing you to work on non-digital games. Then, you will learn how to create a playable game from start to finish, explore the basics of programming, work with engines and tools, and participate in a creative technical game development project. You can check out past projects here. Through discussions, workshops, teamwork, and other activities, you will be able to understand the process of game design and development. You can find out more about the program curriculum here.
Location: Virtual and in-person options are available. The residential program is held on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, CA.
Cost: The program fee is $2,616 for the virtual program and $4,920 for the in-person sessions. Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school students can apply.
Application deadline: Applications typically close in June.
Program dates: Multiple two-week sessions are held in the July–August period.
UCLA’s Game Lab Summer Institute is a two-week program for high school students interested in game design. It follows a four-course curriculum designed to provide participants with an introduction to making games and games art. During the program, you will learn about the fundamentals of game design, like creating characters, designing conflicts and choices, and giving players worthwhile goals. You will also work on a tabletop game to understand how game design works. Then, you will explore character modeling and animation by bringing a 2D character or avatar to life with the help of After Effects. Also part of the program is the world-building course, which covers the creation of game environments. Here, you will work on the Unity game engine and create a game environment with elements like buildings, plants, terrain, and lighting. Finally, you will explore game programming and game-related coding.
Using these concepts, you will build a video game, playtest the results, and make changes to enhance the gaming experience. You will leave the program with your own game art that you can add to your college application portfolio!
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost: Starts at $8,998 | Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who are at least 16 years old and have an academic average of at least a B or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale can apply. Check the detailed eligibility requirements here before applying.
Application deadline: Applications are typically due in March.
Program dates: The six-week program typically runs from June to August.
This is a six-week program for high school students interested in visual arts, music and audio, game design, and software development. You can choose between commuter and residential formats. The program begins with a look at best practices and core skills required in game development and an introduction to concepts like 2D and 3D art, software development, animation, music composition, audio effects, and game design via live instruction. Then, you will be assigned to a group, in which you will be given a role that contributes toward the development of a game. You can mention your preferred role (programmer, artist, sound designer, or generalist) in your application. The goal is to create an original game prototype, starting with the idea pitch and ending with a final playable demo. You, along with your team, will present the game at the end of the program.
Location: You can choose between the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada) or the v (USA)
Cost: $3,895–$3,995 | Scholarships are available.
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14–18 who have completed at least one year of high school can apply.
Application deadline: Rolling basis. The program will continue to accept applications as long as there is room for participants.
Program dates: Multiple one-week sessions are offered from June to August.
National Student Leadership Conference’s High School Game Design Program is a one-week residential program for high schoolers interested in building video games and interactive experiences. During the program, you will explore the fundamentals of game design, build a 2D platformer, use game engines, create a game environment, and work on game storylines. You will also engage in playtesting to figure out issues with the game you created.
The program also offers visual art, system design, and coding workshops along with trips and tours to game and filmmaking studios. Additionally, you will get to interact with guest speakers, including professional game designers, developers, and animators, who may offer insights into the world of game design.
Location: Clark University campus, Worcester, MA
Cost: $4,200
Eligibility: High school students and recent high school graduates can apply.
Application deadline: TBA
Program dates: The two-week program typically runs in July.
The Summer Game Studio at Clark University is a two-week residential program for high school students interested in learning about game development. The program covers key concepts in the field, including game design, motion capture, game art and animation, programming, testing, sound, and production. During the program, you will work in small groups and be a part of the development team to build an original game. At the end of the program, you will present your original game and discuss the programs and processes used in the process with professional game developers as well as friends and family.
The experience can help you get some real-world game designing experience and also explore the field of game design through college-level academics. Additionally, as you will work on developing an original playable game during the program, you will get a jump start on building your portfolio.
Location: University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $2,244 per course unit (students can choose up to 8 units) + $2,100–$2,600 (housing costs) | Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: Anyone who is at least 16 years old can apply.
Application deadline: TBA, but applications typically open in December.
Program dates: The program typically runs for six weeks from June to August.
The USC SCA Summer Program follows the structure of a rigorous pre-college program, offering participants a chance to take production, editing, animation, screenwriting, interactive media, and film and television business courses. Each course is worth a certain number of units and students can choose up to eight units. The program also involves classroom studies, homework assignments, and participation in activities and events, just like a regular pre-college program does. You can choose the Foundations of Game Design course, which covers key concepts in the field, like the theory of game design, ideation development, prototyping, and play testing. During the program, you will also explore play-centric design techniques. The course classes will be taught by USC SCA faculty members, who are also industry professionals. The overall program structure has elements of a studio production course. All the lectures are designed to help you develop two games—a tabletop game mod and a digital game worth adding to your design portfolio.
Location: Champlain College, Burlington, VT
Cost: $4,500 | Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10–12 and recent high school graduates can apply.
Application deadline: TBA, but registration will open in the fall.
Program dates: The program typically runs between July and August.
The Game Academy at Champlain College is a residential pre-college program for high school students planning to pursue game design in college. As a participant, you will get to explore how a professional game development team works. You will also learn about key concepts in the field like game art and animation, design, narratives, production management, programming, testing, sound, and the business of video games. Then, with the help of professors and industry professionals, you will work with other participants to come up with original game prototypes using tools like Maya, Unity, and C#. Through this experience, you will get a first-hand look at behind-the-scenes operations of professional game studios. You will also leave with a game prototype that can be added to your portfolio for college application!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.