Gaming Academy
Who we are
Lebanon has been going through a multitude of problems, from the pandemic, to the August 4 explosion, to the lack of proper support.
The Gaming Academy is a local initiative headed by game industry professionals and professors from top universities in the region to help alleviate some of the pain that the residents and youth of Lebanon have been enduring, and instead invest in their determination and innovation! We want to help them create something fun, innovative, and educational: games!
The idea of the academy was brought about through Khaddit Beirut, and we are here to help you create and execute your own game from start to finish with the help of professionals and leaders in the field of game design and development. We are going to teach participants how to create game ideation, game design, game art, game music, and game development.
Timeline
Call for interest April 27 to May 17
We are looking for teams of up to 5 people - with at least half the team members living in Lebanon - or an individual that can be teamed up with other members during the training period. Diversity and inclusion are highly encouraged
Game idea submission July 7
All teams should have been formed and all teams should submit their well articulated idea.
Actual Game Development and Mentoring July 17 - Jan.
After the five teams are selected, they will be closely mentored for six months by experienced mentors, during which the teams develop their game.
May 31 to June 25 Workshops
A series of eight to nine workshops by renowned experts will be delivered over a span of three weeks to all
participants to lay down the principles of game design and development.
July 7 - July 16 Judging
Five teams will be short listed by experienced judges.
Jan. 30 Winner selection
The judges meet again and select the winning game.
Call for interest April 27 to May 17
We are looking for teams of up to 5 people - with at least half the team members living in Lebanon - or an individual that can be teamed up with other members during the training period. Diversity and inclusion are highly encouraged
Workshops May 31 to June 25
A series of eight to nine workshops by renowned experts will be delivered over a span of three weeks to all participants to lay down the principles of game design and development.
Game idea submission July 7
All teams should have been formed and all teams should submit their well articulated idea.
Judging July 7 - July 16
Five teams will be short listed by experienced judges.
Actual Game Development and Mentoring July 17 - Dec.
After the five teams are selected, they will be closely mentored for five months by experienced mentors, during which the teams develop their game.
Winner selection Dec. 17
The judges meet again and select the winning game.
Updates
The gaming academy started in April after a wonderful advertising campaign, gathering the interest of hundreds of individuals interested in game development. We had over 500 students signed up, and through 6 weeks and 18 workshops, held on design, programming, art, music, storytelling, and local representation, the participants learned a bit about everything gamedev related.
They then had a few weeks to work on their potential game ideas and present them to the judges. Out of the games presented, 4 are currently moving forward in development with highly capable individuals that we are following up with them and their projects. You can see the projects in the “finalists” tab and the mentors in “team” tab in the mentors section of the website.
We can't wait to share more updates about their games and their projects in the near future. By January, they'll all be wrapping up their projects, and we're so excited to share everything they'll have by then!
Stay tuned for GA2!
