‘You can get outside of your comfort zone’
Cashier Brooks loves to tell a story, especially through a creative medium. The high schooler plays cello, dabbles in photography and acting, and has always enjoyed video games.
“My whole life I’ve delved into different creative areas,” he says. “I realized, what better way to tell stories and make an impact on people’s lives than through games and interactive media, combining my creative talents?”
Brooks was able to do just that at the Becker School of Design & Technology’s Summer Game Studio in 2025. Summer Game Studio is a two-week, pre-college game design program that immerses students in all aspects of game design and development and empowers students with the skills to create their own video games from scratch.
“I was a little nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect at Summer Game Studio,” says Brooks, “but as soon as we started the workshops and classes, I found my group of people.”
During the program, Brooks worked with a team of peers to create a 2D adventure game set in a world where Y2K led to an apocalypse.
“You play as a character that’s trying to find furniture to decorate their house because it’s kind of a cozy game. But you also go to ruin locations to meet new characters and learn their backstories as you navigate through the apocalypse.”
“Imagine somewhere between Fallout and Animal Crossing. That’s the vibe we’re going for,” says Madi Neel, who also worked on the game.
During Summer Game Studio, students learn coding, programming, animation, and more through hands-on training with the faculty who make the Becker School of Design & Technology one of the world’s top-ranked game design programs.
“I’ve been interested in game design, especially game art, since I was little. This was the perfect opportunity for me to try it out for real,” says Neel, who participated in the Game Studio program the past two summers. “Being here also gave me the resources to learn how to use different engines and pick up a little bit of coding as well. You can get outside of your comfort zone.”
During the two-week program, students live in a Clark residence hall and work in teams, developing their problem-solving skills.
“When you have a ton of people who are all interested in the same thing, you feel more collaborative and more excited to work on a project,” says Neel. “You feel uplifted when you’re working with people who are like you.”
Registration is open for Summer Game Studio 2026.
