11/09/2025
On Friday our Esports Team and Art II students had the opportunity to attend the 25th annual Shawnee Game Conference!
This year, our students participated in an Ask Me Anything Q&A panel with current students at Shawnee State University. They had their questions about what it is like to be a student participating in Game Design at the college answered by artists and programmers alike. They even learned first-hand from current collegiate esports players and pros about scholarships and career paths available for passionate and dedicated players.
The keynote speaker this year was Mr. Jose Araiza, touching on a wellspring of topics across the gaming industry, including: the pros and cons of AI in game design, how bigger is not always better in regards to AAA game studios, the decentralization of game development, what personality traits are necessary to see your creative ideas realized, and the need to build strong connections with fellow creators. Most importantly, he spoke to the fact that the dreamers in that room were the future! One day, they will share their creations with the world, and we'll have the unique privilege of walking around inside their dreams!
Writers, character designers, artists, and motion capture experts showcased the other important roles involved in making the video games that we know and love! Simultaneously, our students learned valuable lessons about setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals and forming positive study habits.
But the major highlights were the free lunch at the Bear's Den and the Exhibit Hall! Everyone had the chance to interact with technology venders, local artists and businesses, and variety of indie game developers! Each student got to experience early-access games, provide valuable feedback, see how previous titles like Gnomad are progressing further along in the development process, and take home plenty of souvenirs!
We are thankful and fortunate to have such an incredible and unique conference offered to all high schools at no cost by Shawnee State University! Thanks also goes to Mrs. Howard for involving her art students; there would be no video games without artists! Thank you also to Mr. Howard for volunteering and helping out throughout the day. And most of all, thank you to Valley High School for supporting all of our kids and their passions! See you next year, SGC!
STAY TUNED TO HEAR ABOUT OUR SMASH BROS. PLAYERS AND THE SHAWNEE SHOWDOWN!!!!
