CCAD animation students launch new Game Creators Guild

A new student-operated collective, the CCAD Game Creators Guild, encourages interactive game design and development.  

A group of Columbus College of Art & Design students including Danielle Tucker (Animation, 2020), Victoria Baum (Animation, 2020), and Joseph Cutler (Illustration, 2021) worked all summer to get the guild up and running.

“We’re hoping to get as many people from all different majors into the process of making and designing games, and showing that it’s a viable and fun option for a career,” Tucker says.

The guild delves into development for all variety of games, including video games, tabletop games, and virtual games, and has held game nights, a collaborative roundtable event, and board game creation events. On the horizon? Game critique and analysis, guest speakers, game playtesting, Unity and modeling tutorials, concept art nights, and more.

Having a dedicated student group for game art is crucial for establishing an ongoing community of support, says Assistant Professor Elizabeth Keegan, who will help launch a new Game Art & Design major at CCAD in fall 2020.

“The game development process is a challenging one, but can be accessible if we take it on together to better understand its unique qualities,” Keegan says. “GCG is doing an excellent job at creating yet another entry point for those who are curious about game making, in a way that is inclusive and accessible.”

In the Game Art & Design major, students will learn everything game-making, from introductory coding to playable prototypes, and will come away with the skills needed to succeed in a growing industry.

The Game Creators Guild meets from 7 to 9 p.m. every Friday at Kinney Hall in room 300, and past discussions have included a two-part tutorial on the Unity cross-platform game engine as well as a board game building night.

Want to join the Guild? Show up to Kinney Hall room 300 at 7 p.m. on Fridays. Follow the Game Creators Guild on Instagram for updates.