January 25, 2016

January 25, 2016 — The Entrepreneurial Game Studio (EGS) will engage more than 100 Philly middle school students in game design workshops this year, thanks to generous support from Intel. Young game designers-in-the-making will learn to create new video games for live play on the Cira Centre façade. The best part? The students will have an opportunity to play their own games on the side of the 29-story building next fall. “We want students to get excited about game design and get their imaginations in gear. This project will give middle school students a chance to see and play their designs up in lights” said Dr. Frank Lee, EGS Director and Digital Media professor.

“We’ve already played Pong and Tetris; it’s time to play some new games,” Professor Lee said, explaining that the workshops are a fun way to get more middle-school girls and boys interested in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math. “It encourages creative thinking, of course, but it takes that one step farther by showing these students how to plan and problem-solve and, ultimately, build their creations.”

The Cira Centre, owned by Brandywine Realty Trust, is where Professor Lee broke two Guinness records for the design and LED installation of the largest architectural video game displays in the world.

The workshops are taking place now through fall of 2016 at the Entrepreneurial Game Studio in the ExCITe Center, engaging students from participating Philadelphia-area schools and community organizations in a curriculum of game design elements and basic programming. Schools wishing to participate should contact EGS Program Manager Arianna Gass at egs@drexel.edu.

Professor Lee founded the Entrepreneurial Game Studio 2013 as a safety-netted springboard for student game-design startups. EGS has worked with several community groups during the last few years to seed interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and math among the youth of Philadelphia. In 2014 they hosted workshops for TechGirlz and local Girl Scout troops, among other outreach efforts.