Youth Summer Camps

Youth Game development themed Camps

The University of Utah offers a variety of game-development-themed summer camps for kids taught by EAE faculty and graduate students over the summer semester.
Check out the descriptions below, and be sure to visit the U of U Youth Education website to sign up!
Please keep in mind that only classes that have not concluded for the year are visible on the youth ed site.

EAE Game Design Studio (Age 14-17)

Take the next step in your game development career and start creating games from the ground up. Learn techniques from EAE graduate students in this intensive class. Using professional tools like Unreal Engine and Unity, start developing the skills needed to become a level designer and gameplay programmer. Combine everything you’ve learned, from coding to design, to build a final prototype, in this in-depth, hands-on game development class.

EAE Beginning 3D Modeling (Age 14-17)

Join EAE in this intensive modeling workshop and create a 3D digital model of your own design, be it a character, creature, tool or vehicle for a video game, machinima or movie. Learn everything from the basics of professional 3D modeling software, like Maya and ZBrush, through the process of fully realizing your creations.

Graphic Design (Age 14-17)

Bring your art alive by learning the ins and outs of computer graphic design. This in depth course will teach you how to master Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, the essential tools for creating your own logo, brand, and enhancing your hand drawn works to a whole new level.

Game Animation (Age 12-14)

Learn how to animate characters for video games! In this course you will get an introduction to interactive media animation. You will create storyboards to plan your animation and learn some of the techniques used to create animation for games or the Web. Topics will include integrating sound with your animations, creating your own drawings, and adding video and simple logic to your animations.

Coding with Python (Age 12-14)

Python is an easy-to-use, but powerful scripting language used by graphic artists and engineers for creating games and websites. Learn basic commands and functions then continue on with your project after the class ends using Python’s advanced features. Get familiar with this popular and versatile language, whether you are new to coding or looking to enhance your skills.

Java Programming (Age 9-11)

Join us for a class that will introduce you to Java technology, an invaluable development platform used to create applications. Gain exposure to Java programming syntax, object-oriented programming, and a few other aspects of the programming language used by millions of software developers.

Game Design: 3D Worlds (Age 12-14)

Experience a world through the eyes of a video game character, when you create your own 3D runner. Learn game design fundamentals, how to create a terrain, and basic programming and animation as you develop a first-person perspective world, much like Call of Duty or Minecraft. Design your own game where you are the runner. Build paths to follow and obstacles to avoid. Leave with a prototype you can continue to run with and share with your family and friends.

EAE Game Design Studio (Age 11-13)

EAE Digital Figure Scultping (Age 14-17)

Explore the depths of high-res 3D sculpting in this week-long course, geared toward photorealistic models for movies and CG animation. Using one of the most prominent sculpting tools in the industry, ZBrush, students will learn everything from basic to advanced techniques and develop their own portfolio pieces.

Game Design: Graphic Art & Code (Age 14-17)

Create your own character and then tell it what to do! Learn all about game design and game studio simulation in this design-focused class. Program your own game using the versatile software Game Maker. Fabricate your own characters and scenes, then integrate your graphics into the game. Learn to manipulate code to add another level of customization, then test everything you’ve built by simulating your game and preparing it for production. Leave with a prototype that you can continue to develop and share with family and friends.

Beginning Programming with Scratch (Age 7-9)

Program your own game, character animation, or interactive story. Jump into the world of computer science with Scratch, an age-appropriate computer language designed to teach the fundamentals of programming. Design your own character and create an environment for it to ‘live’ in. Then give your character a purpose by developing a storyline or gaming objective. Explore graphics, animations, sound, and more as you level up your skills.

Coding with Python (Age 9-11)

Game Design: 2D Side-scroller (Age 9-11)

In the style of Mario and Flappy Bird, here’s your chance to design your own classic side-scroller adventure. You have complete control over the design of this video game and will create your own characters and environments. Design objects that you can pick up to help your avatar and design obstacles to increase the difficulty of the game. Leave with a prototype that you can continue to develop and share with family and friends.

Game Design: 3D Runner (Age 12-14)

Run, jump and play in a 3D adventure video game of your own creation. Learn game design fundamentals, basic game programming, and character animation. Following the footsteps of Mario 64 and Skylanders, design your own virtual world and then develop a game within it. Create buildings, trees, streets, and mountains, then explore everything you’ve built. Leave with a prototype that you can continue to develop and share with the world! .

EAE 3D Hard Surface Modeling Studio (Age 14-17)

Immerse yourself in the world of hard surface modeling with this intensive design course. From samurai swords to pickup trucks, learn about asset design and production pipelines for creating realistic hard surfaces for machinima, games, and CG with a focus on high-poly modeling. You will utilize advanced graphics software packages that are prominent in the video game industry such as Maya and ZBrush to create portfolio pieces.

Game Design: Maya 3D Modeling (Age 9-11)

Do you love drawing and animation? Take it to the next level as you learn to use Maya software to bring your designs to life. Create your very own 3D models, then see it come alive through animation.

Game Design: Graphic Art & Code (Age 11-13)

Beginning Arcade Programming (Ages 9-11)

Checkers got you down? Tired of cards or dominoes? Bored with playing the same games over and over? Why not make your own? If you’ve ever wanted to change a videogame to make it easier (or harder), then this is the class for you. Learn the basics of creating your own video games through simple, step-by-step instructions. And who knows, it might even be (gasp!) educational.

HTML Coding (Age 11-13)

Want to “write” your own webpage? HTML is basis of every website you have ever visited, the backbone of the internet. Learn the fundamentals of HTML as you build a page from the ground up, whether it is a news site, blog or personal bio. Then add images, videos and links while practicing key concepts of good web design.

Game Design: Girls Only! (Age 11-13)

Join us for this all-girl class and design your own video game. From concept to prototype, learn from professional women working in video game design as you use industry-standard tools to create your own graphic art and program your own game. Leave with a prototype you can continue to develop and share with your family and friends – a testament to the artistic and engineering brilliance of girls!!

Tabletop Top Game Design (Ages 11-13)

Who needs computers for game design? Learn the fundamentals of creating tabletop games from the ground up. Set your own rules, how many people can play and what it takes to win. Drawing from video game and tabletop game traditions, students will learn to “find the fun” from concept to paper prototyping, and at the end, you will have a game to take home.