Since 2019, Youth Fusion and Ubisoft Toronto have worked together with schools across Ontario to provide full-year experiential learning programs to elementary and secondary school students through the Video Game Creation program.
From September to May, students learned how to design, develop, and market their own video game with mentorship and expertise from Ubisoft Toronto developers. Six Ubisoft Toronto mentors were involved this year, with almost 300 young people from six schools in communities across Ontario.
“Working with the students at George Harvey Collegiate Institute again this year for Youth Fusion was a joy. I’m very proud of what the students accomplished even through the challenging circumstances,” says Zavian Porter, Level Design Team Lead at Ubisoft Toronto and Youth Fusion mentor.
Zavian Porter
Young people go through all the stages of game development, learning how to use various technological tools and essential skills such as teamwork, creativity, and critical thinking.
Creating new career pathways into game development
Youth Fusion develops innovative and experiential educational projects that create ongoing links between school systems and the community, with the aim of motivating students, encouraging school perseverance, and highlighting potential career paths.
“The games industry is hard to understand and navigate from the outside, so I love being able to work with local schools and provide students with early feedback and direction on how to get into the industry. I feel that it is especially important for me, as a minority in the industry, to be visible and open, so that kids of all backgrounds know there’s a place in the industry for them as well,” says Zavian.
The partnership with Youth Fusion builds on Ubisoft Toronto’s efforts to inspire the next generation of tech talent, prepare students for careers of the future and foster a diverse local talent pool. This includes supporting the curriculum of our Ontario education partners and engaging students of all ages – from elementary to post-grad – in game development.
To celebrate the end of the school year – and another year of learning and creating games – Youth Fusion wrapped this year’s program with an end-of-year showcase. Students met with and shared their projects with peers, teachers, coordinators and mentors.
Check out some awesome games from these Ontario students & school teams!
Cat O Pot made by Surfac3 from Sir Albert Love in Oshawa.
Adventure of Old: Wizard Staff made by the Not Blind Mice from Hammarskjold High School in Thunder Bay. Click to play.
Forgotten Forest made by the Squid Squad at St. Martin Elementary school in Thunder Bay. Click to play.
Secret Dimension made by Nathaniel at George Harvey Collegiate Institute in Toronto. Click to play.
Skin Face made by Glitchran at Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute in Toronto. Click to play.
Want to check out more games? The full virtual gallery featuring all the 2021-2022 Video Game Design projects can be found here.
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- How to Break into the Video Game Industry with Ubisoft Toronto NEXT
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