What’s New

October was an eventful month for CCNY and Urban Arts, as CCNY’s Gaming Pathways program presented at the Undergraduate Open House on October 26. Program Director Nicholas Fortugno, alongside student representatives, engaged prospective students and families, highlighting the program’s unique offerings. Urban Arts continued its College Access Workshops for college-bound students, hosting “College Essays 101” on October 7, “Financial Aid Review” on October 21, and “Early Decision Applications” on October 28. Additionally, Urban Arts faculty led game design master classes for high school students at WHEELS, A. Philip Randolph High School, and Facing History School on October 9, 11, and 17, with 78 students participating across the three sessions. In mid-October, 225 students enrolled in Urban Arts’ after-school game design programs, featuring three levels of game development courses and the introduction of “Play Lab,” a pilot seminar for exploring creative identities in game design. Finally, on October 31, award-winning game designer Sarah Ticho visited the Urban Arts level-3 Studio class to discuss her journey in the industry and her work on the acclaimed game Soul Paint, inspiring the next generation of game designers.

In September, CCNY celebrated its recent Esports Club victory at a Valorant tournament held on August 31 at OS NYC, where the team triumphed over five other CUNY schools, an event streamed live on Twitch to over 2,000 viewers. During Student Orientation, CCNY’s Board Game Club joined in to recruit new members and showcase its unique focus on both gameplay and game design, with meetings now set for Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Gaming Pathways program also launched its courses, offering instruction in game design, level design, programming, and UI/UX design. With new faculty members on board, students gained access to advanced resources like the Alienware Computer Lab and Gaming Library. Meanwhile, Urban Arts initiated its fall College Access Workshops, supporting college-bound juniors and seniors. September’s sessions included “College Application 101” on September 23 and “CUNY Application Support” on September 30, all part of the college prep support for Urban Arts students.

On 8/28, the first day of classes officially started at the City College of New York! Over 120 Gaming Pathways students have enrolled in classes covering game design, level design, programming with Unity, and more. Urban Arts has started recruitment for their 2024-25 free after-school game design program. NYC-based 9th, 10th, and 11th graders can sign up for an info session to learn more about how to apply to SIA here. Programs launch in mid-October.

On 8/15, a group of game developers from GUMBO and EGD joined the final week of Urban Arts’ six-week intensive game design summer camp. They playtested student games and answered questions about careers in game design. On the same day, Urban Arts alumni and rising seniors visited global communications and media company WPP to explore careers in applied creative technology. On 8/22, a group of students visited Unity’s offices.

101 students and 177 guests total showcased 50+ games at the Urban Arts Arcade Saturday 6/15, including students and teachers from Gaming Pathways after school clubs. Two studio programs teams had the opportunity to present their games to industry professionals.

Three Gaming Pathways Master Classes were held at Khalil Gibran HS (23 students), George Westinghouse HS (20 students), and Bronx Lab School (17 students). Six students from the Urban Arts Gaming Pathways club at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning school visited the Paley Center for Media’s PaleyGX exhibit to explore new consoles, VR, and PC systems. Ten students visited the Brooklyn co-dev gaming studio, Gumbo Collective, toured the space, met NYC indie game developers, and playtested games.

Urban Arts held a Spring Break Game Design Lab for 46 high school students who explored gaming through an educational lens and designed their own games. In addition, more public school students were reached through two master classes held at Facing History High School and one master class held at George Westinghouse High School.

CCNY hosted Gaming Pathway’s second annual Unreleased Games Arcade, supporting 52 local designers to showcase 21 digital and analog games, all playtested by over 100 high school students. Urban Arts ran three masterclasses at the Harlem School of the Arts in conjunction with the Harlem Gallery of Science’s exhibit: Video Games: The Great Connector; 87 high school students participated, enhancing their understanding of the gaming industry while furthering their game design skills.

21 game design students from Urban Arts’ Gaming Pathways clubs got a sneak-preview of Video Games: The Great Connector exhibit to explore, play and share their feedback before it officially opened. Additionally, student and alumni designers from Urban Arts’ Mastery program displayed digital game prototypes at the exhibit. Nearly 50 Urban Arts students visited the exhibit on a field trip.