2024 GMG- Bellevue College Parents Guide

//Three Week Overview

Our camp curriculum is designed to encourage exploration of game making tools in a safe, collaborative setting. Campers will experience community building through team games as well as participate in fun games + activities and contests!

//Week 1

Introduction to fundamentals of Game Design and camp game engine: Construct 3. Each participant will receive group instruction led by a Camp Counselor. Later in the week, campers will form a team within their age cohort (Jrs. 8-12 or Teens 13-18) and brainstorm ideas for a game together that they will work on for the rest of camp. GMG will facilitate team formations.

For advanced Teens and repeat GMG Teen Participants, there will also be an option to choose Unity. GMG will assess if a Teen student is eligible to be in the Unity Track.

//Week 2

Campers continue to experiment and expand their knowledge of game engines, building their games and creating art. The goal of the second week is to have a playable demo demonstrating core game mechanics and game world.

//Week 3

Campers spend 2-3 days polishing their games to be complete and playable, then learn to ‘pitch’ their games to their group. Campers selected to present at Demo Day will be notified at the end of camp!

// Back to Contents

// Technical Requirements & Laptops

Please be sure to provide administrator access on your child’s device or we may have to call you during camp for login information!

Participants are required to bring their own computers. The upside is that the girls are then able to take their projects home and continue working on them without interruptions.

// In case a participant does not have a laptop, they can request for a loaner laptop from GMG at a minimal cost ahead of camp.

[Update] With camps really close, we're unable to provide rental laptops after June 21st. If you still have an extenuating circumstance and cannot bring a laptop to camp, please email us at support@girlsmakegames.com and we'll look into an alternative.

// Back to Contents

//Before/After care

We offer both early drop off and late pick up for our Bellevue location.

• EARLY DROP OFF HOURS: 8:30am – 9:30am

• LATE PICK UP HOURS: 4:30pm – 5:30pm

To sign up for these services, please see the Camper Services + COVID-19 Waiver Form section

*If you need earlier / later hours, please let us know and we’ll try our best to make accommodations.

>> Back to Contents

//Camp Lunch

DAILY MENU *

Sammich Monday: Variety of Deli Sandwiches, Subs

Taco Tuesday: Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, Fajitas

Burger Wednesday: Cheeseburgers, Reg Burgers, Veggie Burgers! :)

Chow-Mein Thursday: Variety of Asian dishes

Pizza Friday: Variety of Pizza

Campers have the choice of bringing their own lunch everyday, or purchasing through GMG for $15/day.

GMG will provide lunch free of cost to scholarship recipients for all days requested on the Camper Services Form below.

Healthy snacks like fruit, veggie chips, and granola bars provided throughout the day at no cost. *Menu may vary based on location, all families will be notified in advance. We’ll provide a full refund if you choose to opt out due to changes.

• Please try to pre-purchase lunch through the camp services form ahead of time as it helps us plan.

• If your child comes to camp without lunch and you have not pre-paid for this service, our Camp Coordinator will reach out to you to get your permission to purchase lunch for your child. You will then be invoiced for any lunches the coordinator purchases that were not pre-paid for through the camper services form.

• Should you decide not to opt-in for lunch at this time, you can email the coordinator a day at least a day in advance if you’d like to opt-in for any lunches in the week or coming weeks. Our team will send a bulk invoice for all the days you opt-in for at the end of camp.

To sign up, please see the Camper Services + COVID-19 Waiver Form section

>> Back to Contents

//Who’s Teaching?

Our staff comprises of independent game developers as well as students from some of the top Computer Science and Game Dev programs in the country like USC, MIT, DigiPen, NYU and more!

Industry Guest Speakers share their expertise and journey to inspire young game devs. Past speakers include industry veterans such as Tim Schafer (creator of Psychonauts), Kellee Santiago (Journey, Flow), Pavni Diwanji (VP Engineering, Google)

Each camp is headed by a Camp Coordinator – your main point of contact for the duration of the summer camp, and 3-4 Camp Counselors. Camp Coordinators communicate with GMG HQ and handle day-to-day logistics, while Counselors lead instruction and mentorship at camp.

>> You will hear directly from your Camp Coordinator the week before camp starts.

>> Back to Contents

//Prep for Camp

Can’t wait for camp? We totally get it! :D

Here are a few things you can get started on before joining us:

• Brainstorm ideas and game genres:

One of the best parts about making games is researching and brainstorming what your game is going to be about. Make sure to take notes, draw sketches and bring them in at camp!

• Review Game Engines

Take a look at the game engine we’ll be working in: Construct 3. This is not a requirement and we’ll cover pretty much everything from scratch, so no worries if you don’t get to it!

• Play the 2023 Demo day Finalists games!

• 2023 Demo Day Finalists Games: https://www.girlsmakegames.com/2023-demo-day. This helps give an idea of what you can do in just 2-3 weeks! :)

// Back to Contents

// Camper Services + COVID-19 Waiver Form

The form below covers all sorts of important information that will help us run a smooth camp.

Please be sure to be as thorough as you need. Include dietary restrictions, and medical and emergency information.

This form also includes information on GMG’s COVID-19 Policy and guidelines: COVID-19 Guidelines. Please be sure to read this before filling out the form.  

Form Link: >> Camper Services and COVID-19 Waiver

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, July 5

// Back to Contents

//Summer Camp FAQs

• What’s the best way to reach GMG?

Email support@girlsmakegames.com or call our HQ (833) 464-7877 or (833) GMG-SUPP :). Please note this number is only active for the duration of the camp, Mon-Fri, 9:30am-7pm Eastern Time (EDT), July 8-26, 2024.

• MY DAUGHTER HAS NEVER PROGRAMMED BEFORE, IS THIS CAMP RIGHT FOR HER?

That’s A-OK! Our curriculum is designed to be flexible for all age groups and coding levels. Campers work in teams of 3-5, supported by a dedicated team counselor. Nearly 2/3rds of our summer camp attendees have limited coding experience, so your daughter will have plenty company :)

• MY DAUGHTER HAS EXTENSIVE PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE AND HAS MADE SEVERAL APPS, IS THIS CAMP RIGHT FOR HER?

Fantastic! Making a team game is a great way for your daughter to flex her coding muscles, and help bring her team’s vision to life. There’s so much more to game development than programming alone - game design, art, animation, teamwork, even marketing and entrepreneurship!

• CAN MY DAUGHTER BE ON THE SAME TEAM AS HER FRIEND?

Yes, of course! Camp staff conduct a survey before sorting teams so the campers have a chance to share who they’d like to be with.

• Where can we see more pictures of what camp looks like?

Our Facebook page is a treasure trove :) https://www.facebook.com/girlsmakegames/photos_stream

• Can we miss a day(s)?

Generally that’s OK. Since the campers are working on a team project, it would come down to how they want to share the workload. Team Counselors may assign homework to make up for the lost time.

• WHAT IS YOUR COVID-19 POLICY AND WHAT IF MY CHILD IS SICK?

GMG is committed to ensuring our participants have a safe and enjoyable summer camp with us. Please review our COVID-19 policy for more details on our policy and guidance for parents. 

Please note, participants that experience longer absences due to illness (COVID or otherwise) are welcome to return to camp pending proof of recovery.

• What coding languages will my daughter learn?

We teach game design and development using powerful game engines like Construct 3, Unreal, and Unity. This year students will learn Construct 3. Advanced Teens will have an opportunity to make their game in Unity. GMG will determine eligibility for Advanced Track.

• Do kids spend all day in front of a computer, coding?

Not at all. It’s summer! We take frequent breaks and make sure we get some play time away from the computers :)

• Can camp guardians attend any activities or camp sessions?

In order to create a fun and safe space for our campers, we do not allow any guardians to attend sessions. However, most of our in person camps will feature Orientation on day 1, and Final Presentations on the last day of camp. Guardians are welcome to join us then! We will share more information closer to dates. 

• Who are the camp counselors/teachers/speakers?

Our staff comprises of independent game developers as well as students from some of the top Computer Science and Game Design programs in the country like USC, MIT, DigiPen, and UT Austin.

Industry Guest Speakers share their expertise and journey to inspire young game devs. Past speakers include industry veterans such as Tim Schafer (creator of Psychonauts), Kellee Santiago (Journey, Flow), and Phil Spencer (President, Xbox).

• HOW BIG IS YOUR CLASS SIZE?

We cap our classes at 24, but our ideal class size is between 16-20.

• Do you provide overnight accommodations?

Unfortunately not :(. We’re a day camp, but who knows, maybe one day? :)

• How do we keep the spirit of GMG going after camp?

GMG’s Portal has a ton of awesome resources for anyone who wishes to continue growing their game dev skills. We also encourage our campers to return at other year-round GMG events! Please sign up on GMG’s mailing list on our home page to receive more GMG news.

• What is your refund policy?

We offer 100% refund through June 23rd, none thereafter. Please see GMG Terms & Conditions for more info.

// Back to Contents

//Contact GMG

Email: support@girlsmakegames.com or fill out the contact form on the website.

Tel: (833) GMG-SUPP [(833) 464-7877]
Please note this number is only active for the duration of the camp, 9:30am-7pm Eastern Time EDT, July 8-26, 2024

Twitter: https://twitter.com/girlsmakegames

#GirlsMakeGames #GMG2024

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlsmakegames

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsmakegames/

// Back to Contents

With camps both virtual and in person, we wanted to provide a sense of connection and community to all campers wherever they are in the world. To that end, we have built a small, closed (private) website, titled “GMG World” that will only be accessed by our summer camp community.

GMG World will feature campers, staff and speaker profiles, as well as game dev tutorials and camp-wide announcements.

To get started, please have your camper fill out this brief form:
https://bit.ly/2024-gmg-world-profile

Deadline to submit form: Friday, June 28th

Note: Campers may choose to remain anonymous by using an alias/avatar. We would still love for them to create an entry and share a little bit about themselves (favorite games and so forth).

// Back to Contents