Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) recently hosted its immersive Game Development Camp, giving middle and high school students a unique opportunity to jump-start their careers in game design and development.

Students ages 12 to 18 learned directly from real industry professionals and RPI faculty as they developed their own complete video games using Unreal Engine 5 — the same powerful software behind titles like Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, and Black Myth: Wukong. The camp made full use of RPI’s state-of-the-art computing facilities, including the motion capture studio, Cintiq pen tablets, and the VAST Lab, providing participants with a professional game development environment.

Campers were able to learn at their own pace, with beginners receiving foundational instruction in game design, audio, and art software, while more experienced students engaged in advanced workshops covering topics such as artificial intelligence, networking, and art pipelines. Faculty workshops, guest lectures from industry veterans at studios like Square Enix and Blizzard, and one-on-one tutoring further enriched the experience.

By the end of the week, every camper completed a playable game, showcasing their creativity, technical skills, and understanding of complex game development processes.

One high school student from Burnt Hills shared how he plans to put his new skills to use, “Me and a couple of friends from school are building a game this summer. I’m learning everything here so that I can go back and teach them, and then we’re going to build the game together.”  

Reflecting on his favorite parts of camp, he added, “I already knew some stuff about animation, but now I know how to put it in an actual game. Being able to take my art and put it into Unreal is really cool.”  

Games & Experiential Media Sr. Lecturer Rush Swope, who helped organize the camp, emphasized the importance of giving young creators access to real-world tools and mentorship, “This camp is a unique opportunity for young students to design and build their own games using the very same software behind some of today’s most popular titles. By giving them hands-on experience with industry-standard tools like Unreal Engine 5, we’re helping students get a head start toward careers in game development.”

RPI teaching assistants (TAs) who worked closely with the students throughout the week saw the impact firsthand.

“It was really inspiring to see how eager the students were to learn and bring their ideas to life,” said TA Eduardo Huamani '27, a Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences major. “Many of them dove right into building their worlds and stories, and you could tell they genuinely cared about what they were making. Seeing that kind of passion across such a wide range of ages made me feel hopeful about the future of the creative game industry.”

That enthusiasm and rapid progress impressed Anna Misasi '27 as well, a fellow TA and Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences major who worked closely with the campers.

"I was amazed at how quickly they picked everything up. Most had never used a large-scale or 3D game engine at all, let alone one as big as Unreal, so it was really rewarding to watch how in just a few days they were creating functional worlds and solving the same kind of programming and design problems we might come across in our college-level game courses."

Beyond technical training, the camp introduced students to the broader academic environment at RPI, where hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and access to advanced technology are foundational to the student experience. These core values were on full display throughout the week, as participants tackled real-world challenges, learned from experts, and collaborated on original game projects.

By engaging middle and high school students at this early stage, RPI is extending its commitment to nurturing future leaders in game development and interactive media. It’s one more way the Institute is advancing its mission to drive innovation and creativity at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts.