Game Console Designer
Like playing games? Find out how to create your own in this fast-paced introduction to the game design industry. You’ll not only create multiple games from scratch but also build your own handheld game console.
You’ll learn basic electronics skills as you solder together your own game system. You'll also analyse popular games to see how they’re made, then design and code your own to play on your console.
Age
Skill Required
Dates
Length
Venues
Why do Game Console Designer
Take it home
Create your own game console and take it home to continue creating after the camp
Professional Skills
Learn graphic and sound effect design skills, and coding using drag-and-drop programming
Unique Projects
You'll take home
- Handheld game console you've built yourself
- USB drive with all of your projects, code and games
You'll learn
- Soldering skills
- Basic electronics
- Graphic & sound effect skills
- Coding using drag-and-drop
Need to Know
- 1:8 Staff-Student Ratio
- All Equipment Provided
Game Console Designer In Detail
Courses run 9:30am - 4:30pm* Mon-Fri
*Winchester venue finishes 5:30pm/3:15pm (Last Day)
If you’ve not done any before, you’ll start off with a crash course in soldering before assembling your game console.
You’ll then start your game design journey, learning about all aspects of game design needed to create enjoyable 2D games, including:
- Sprite creation (graphical characters)
- Sound effects and background music tracks
- Physics of games including collisions
- Scoring systems, lives & countdown timers
- Loops, conditionals, variables, functions & arrays
- Creating tile maps and rooms
- Camera functions
- Advanced physics (e.g. acceleration, gravity)
- Background effects
- Splash screens, dialogs and text
- Animations, firing and custom graphic effects
You’ll build over 10 games that you can customise throughout your course, including maze games, space shooters, a ‘lunar lander’, a version of ‘pong’ and ‘pacman’, and ‘platformers’.
Once you’ve done all this, you’ll have the skills to create your own games in a variety of genres.
Introduction to the game development system
Basic game movement and creation of two simple games
Sprite design and pixel art, collisions & scoring
FAQs
Our kids are back from their 3rd/1st trip to Tech Camp. They’re raving about it and already picking the courses for next year. My son (14) has done two game design courses on previous stays but tried his hand at making a 3D printer this year. It’s absolutely amazing and he’s designing and printing all sorts of things ...
Victoria Jane, August 2019
Childcare vouchers accepted
Upcoming Game Console Designer Courses
Winchester
(Sparsholt College)
Apr *11/12 - 15, 2021
Summer Dates
Aug *1/2 - 6, 2021 (*Residential Campers Start)
Aug *8/9 - 13, 2021
Aug *15/16 - 20, 2021
Aug *22/23 - 27, 2021
Price
£445(Easter)/£545(Summer) Non-Residential
£805(Easter)/£995(Summer) Residential
Reading
(UTC Reading)
Summer Dates
Jul 26-30, 2021
Price
£495 (Mon-Fri Non-Residential)
Abingdon
(St Helen & St Katharine)
Summer Dates
Jul 19 - 23, 2021
Price
£545 (Mon-Fri Non-Residential)
Birmingham
(Harborne Academy)
Summer Dates
Aug 16-20, 2021
Price
£495 (Mon-Fri Non-Residential)
London
(St Paul's)
Summer Dates
Jul 12 - 16, 2021
Jul 26 - 30, 2021
Price
£545 (Mon-Fri Non-Residential)
Edinburgh
(University of Edinburgh)
Summer Dates
Jul 5-Jul 9, 2020
Price
£495 (Mon-Fri Non-Residential)
More Courses
3D Game Design
Code and develop professional-quality 3D games with Unity and learn coding in C#
| Age | 9-17 |
| Price | From £445 |
| Location | Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | Unity software and games |
| Great for | Designers, creators and coders |
3D Printing
Build your own 3D printer to take home & learn professional CAD and product design skills
| Age | 9-17 |
| Price | From £645 (Includes 3D Printer) |
| Location | Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | All-metal 3D printer, filament and tools |
| Great for | Those who like designing or making |
Drone Racing
Learn to build and fly a racing drone from scratch with a camera and video headset!
| Age | 11-17 |
| Price | From £595 (Includes all equipment) |
| Location | Easter: Winchester, Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | FPV Drone, Headset, Controller and Hoop |
| Great for | Those into electronics, programming and flying |
FPV Rally Racing
Learn about mechanics, electronics, coding, and aerodynamics as you design and build your own high-speed racing car
| Age | 9-17 |
| Price | From £595 (Includes equipment) |
| Location | Easter: Winchester, Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | FPV Race Car, Headset, Controller |
| Great for | Engineers, drivers and racers of tomorrow |
Game Console Designer
Make your own handheld game console and code your own library of games
| Age | 9-17 |
| Price | From £445 (Includes console) |
| Location | Easter: Winchester, Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | Game Console and Games |
| Great for | Those who like making, designing and electronics |
Laser Tag
Design, create and code an advanced wireless laser tag system, and take the full set home with you to continue playing!
| Age | 9-17 |
| Price | From £495 (Includes taggers) |
| Location | Easter: Winchester, Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | 2 taggers and 2 game control boxes |
| Great for | Those who like designing or making |
Robowars
Design, build and program a fighting robot during our coding & robotics camp!
| Age | 9-17 |
| Price | From £545 (Includes robotics kit) |
| Location | Summer: All Venues |
| Take Home | Full robotics kit |
| Great for | Those who like coding and inventing |