What to expect
Join us for Games Design Camp, offering the perfect opportunity for any tween or teen passionate about video games take their hobby one step further and learn how to make their own games! Members will brainstorm game concepts, design characters, and even code parts of their games, resulting in a playable project by the end of the camp!
Everyone joining the camp receives 1-month FREE Community access, including:
- Inspiring sessions with role models
- Taster sessions for Uncommon clubs
- Book and movie nights and creative workshops
How sessions work
Game Design camps runs Tuesday 13th to Thursday 15th. Each day you can:
Join your Games Design session from 1-4pm
Join a free community session 4-5pm
All our sessions are run on Zoom, with participants welcome to have cameras off or on, to watch, message or talk.
We’ll spend the duration of the camp building a game project of our choice, or collaborating on a group project. Projects can range from 100% creative design to incorporating coding elements. All sessions will be guided by our chief builder, Ollie. During the sessions, Ollie will guide participants, teach new technical skills, narrate the group's successes, encourage cooperation, and provide hands-on technical support. Participants can also DM (direct message) session leaders if they need one-on-one help.
Day 1: We’ll start by introducing a technical skill relevant to game design. Then, we’ll explore what game projects we want to build, make a plan, and start working on our projects.
Day 2: We’ll visit each other's games to see progress and share feedback. We’ll learn another technical skill and apply it to our projects. You can either spend all session building or explore new gameplay mechanics and ideas.
Day 3: Ollie will focus on giving everyone a helping hand to finish off their games. These will then be showcased on the Uncommon platform for everyone to enjoy. We’ll spend the second half of the session exploring or trying out everyone’s finished games!
After Camp ends: You’ll have access to the Uncommon community Game Design camp-space for 1 month. For an extra £60, you can also join our weekly Game Design club to stay connected with your new friends and continue developing your game design skills.
What you'll need
You'll need:
We’ll be using the free game development platform Godot.
We may also use resources from Scratch and other free platforms for aspects of game design such as 3D modeling or sound design.
Where possible, we try to use resources that are free at the point of use and that allow us to find and share interesting resources.
We recommend using a computer (laptop or desktop) with a mouse and keyboard attached.
Download the latest version of the Godot engine from https://godotengine.org.
Get to know Godot by watching this short 12-minute video here.
Meet your Session Leader
Dive into the world of game design with Ollie! Growing up in South-west London, Ollie was always fascinated by computers and gaming. Despite a challenging academic journey, he persisted and achieved a degree in computer science and a master’s in creative technologies. Now, he’s living his dream in the gaming industry!
As an experienced game developer, Ollie brings a wealth of knowledge in everything from visual and audio design to game mechanics. Having ADHD and aphantasia, he understands what it's like to have a brain that works differently and enjoys sharing his experiences to create an inclusive and fun environment. He's passionate about helping young designers bring their gaming ideas to life in a supportive and empowering setting.
What families say
"'D' engaged really well once the instructors got his imagination going. Today he was able to share his work with the camera on his face - major progress!"
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"My child doesn't always cope well with things like classes as she finds the instruction hard. She really enjoyed this though as she wasn't being told what to do."
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"'M' has acute anxiety and the positive environment was really positive for her"
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Why join?
Spark Creativity: Bring your unique ideas to life and share them with others!
Foster Friendships: Collaborate and share ideas with peers, fostering friendships through the shared passion for game design.
Build Confidence: Seeing your ideas come to life in playable games builds confidence. The project you complete is a testament to your creativity and hard work!
Develop Problem-Solving Skills: Game development enhances problem-solving and critical thinking skills. As you design and test your games, you’ll develop strategies to overcome challenges!
Supportive Environment: Our Game Design Club provides a supportive spacewhere you can grow and learn.
Price
Games Design Camp costs £150 and includes:
3 Camp sessions on Tuesday-Thursday afternoons 1-4pm
Optional activities for mornings between camp sessions
Access to the Uncommon Community for 1 month including:
Free events running 4-5pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday where you can be creative, meet role models and try out new Uncommon Clubs
Access to the Uncommon Community Games Design Camp space where you can continue to share your project work and chat with friends you've made in camp
Take part in community challenges and competitions
Optional Extra: For an extra £60 you can also sign-up to our Uncommon Games Design Club, Wednesdays at 6pm for a month! Once you've purchased your camp place we'll send you a coupon to signup for club meetups!