U of A class hands students the controls as video game developers

The University of Alberta’s CMPUT 250 course provides Edmonton students with practical experience developing complete video games in multidisciplinary teams. Students from computing and other disciplines work together on programming, art, design, writing and production, giving them experience with the collaborative process used by professional game studios. The course strengthens Alberta’s game-development talent pipeline by allowing students to build portfolio-ready projects before entering the industry. Its annual game-development awards also give student teams an opportunity to publicly showcase their work and receive feedback and recognition. In a province with established Edmonton studios such as BioWare, programs like CMPUT 250 help develop the technical, creative and teamwork skills needed by local employers while also giving students experience that can support independent development or the formation of new studios.