USC’s Gympie campus will host a free two-day bootcamp for aspiring game designers on 22-23 June.

Led by USC Serious Games academic Dr Colleen Stieler-Hunt, the weekend event is open to 15-year-olds through to adults of any age who are interested in the game industry.

“Game design is the medium of our times,” Dr Stieler-Hunt said.

“Game designers create experiences that can impact their players in profound ways and offer messages that go beyond just entertainment.”

Registration for the event is limited to 20 participants. To register email gympie@usc.edu.au.

The first day of the Game Design Bootcamp will offer participants an overview of game design theory and outline introductory game development tools and other concepts associated with developing games.

The following day participants will be tasked with making their own games under the guidance of USC staff.

“This is a great opportunity for members of the Gympie region to learn more about design and development of games and find out about what opportunities exist at USC,” Dr Stieler-Hunt said.

“There are many fulfilling careers that exist that young people may not have been exposed to and, with the video games industry continuing to grow, it’s good to equip a diverse range of people with the skills to not just play games but to also create games.

“Games created at the bootcamp event can be digital or non-digital, such as board games or card games.”