Cover image: Level Up Showcase poster by Daniel Orellana.
Level Up Showcase has become synonymous with new creative talent in game design, animation and computer science since its inception in 2011.
Now, the student games showcase is back in person for its 10th anniversary on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, starting at 5 p.m. at the Westin Harbour Castle, with partner sponsor Ubisoft, alongside Gameloft, Zynga, Uken Games, Sago Mini and Unity.
The public is invited to explore over 100 games from students at almost 20 post-secondary institutions from across Ontario under one roof, competing for prizes. Award ceremonies for Best Game, Technical Innovation, Artistic Achievement and People’s Choice will take place over the course of the evening to recognize student talent.
Attendees can expect games that use the most current technology and gaming platforms, from motion sensors to VR devices and more. Registration for the event is available here.
Partnering for progress
Industry partners will support students showcasing their work at the event with resources and opportunities.
Experts from Ubisoft will judge the Best Game Award, provide feedback on game prototypes, and support with press, marketing and arranging VIP visits at the event. Industry sponsors and judges also include Gameloft, Zynga, Uken Games, Sago Mini, Unity and the City of Toronto. OCAD U, University of Toronto (U of T), Sheridan College, George Brown College, Knowledge Media Design Institute (KDMI) at U of T, Brock University, Ontario Tech University, Centennial College, Niagara College Canada, and St. Lawrence College are involved as school sponsors.
This is not the first time that OCAD U has collaborated with the game design industry to propel students’ careers forward. OCAD U’s DIGF-3006 3D Game Design course invites experts from Ubisoft as well as other game developers into the classroom to provide play testing feedback that is invaluable to completing their games as part of the course.
Collaboration advances game design talent
Dr. Emma Westecott is co-organizing Level Up Showcase with collaborators at Algonquin College, Brock University and U of T this year in partnership with XP Game Developers Summit.
As Chair of the Digital Futures program and Associate Professor at OCAD U, Dr. Westecott is dedicated to supporting students in the game design space. She teaches DIGF-3006 3D Game Design, wherein students from across OCAD U, U of T Computer Science and U of T Music faculties work in teams to realize a game prototype over 12 weeks in the Winter term.
Dr. Westecott notes that the course brings game industry guests—including those from Ubisoft, Uken, Gameloft, Capybara Games, Cellar Door Games, Sago Mini, 2K Games, Metanet, Snowman Games and more—into the classroom to enhance the student experience.
This collaboration “provides students with invaluable skills for employment, from understanding how to work effectively in teams to building applied game art and game design skills to connecting with possible future employers through class critiques,” says Dr. Westecott.
“We model traditional game development and move collaboratively from concept to beta release, before showcasing the results at Level Up Showcase.”
The students’ games are also shared on itch.io for wider distribution. Samples, including this year’s games, are available here.
Photos from this year’s class critique presentations, courtesy of Dr. Westecott.
DIGF-3006 3D Game Design has been available at OCAD U for more than 10 years.
“Many alumni of this course now work in the game industry: from Madelaine Fischer-Bernhut, who is now a technical artist at Ubisoft, to Saffron Aurora who now runs her own game studio Kitten Cup Studio and is about to release Pekoe, to Alessia Ianni-Palarchio, who is currently pursuing a PhD in game design in Italy,” says Dr. Westecott.