Hands on Opportunities in the Game Studio
There are plenty of events and opportunities both in and out of the classroom to help build skills beyond your major classes. Here, you can form community networks of friends and future coworkers.

Experience is everything at Champlain College, and it’s baked into the way our Game Studio Experience operates. We get it, some of us would live and breathe games if we could—which is why we’ve got professional, academic, and personal opportunities to engage in whatever part of the industry you love. So have at it!
The Senior Show & Recruitment
At the end of the school year, Champlain hosts the Senior Show. This two-day event kicks off with presentations from all graduating Game Studio seniors, showing off their final projects to invited friends, family, faculty, community members, and special guests. After eight teams of students have demoed their fully functional games to the audience, guests can try them out at a celebratory reception and exhibit. Each year, game company recruiters are invited to join us for presentations, exhibit, and reception, where they meet and mingle with graduating seniors. The second day is dedicated to networking and interviews between recruiters and students.
Check Out the Senior ShowEvents & Organizations
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Conferences
Each year Champlain College faculty and students attend a variety of conferences. The Montreal International Game Summit is our main outing. We also attend PAX East, SIGGRAPH, The Educational Game Summit, the Games for Change Conference, and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (pictured above). Champlain and the Champlain College Game Developer’s Association (CCGDA) provide organization and some scholarships to these events.
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Global Game Jam Weekend
Past Champlain College Game Studio students have taken part in and succeeded at the annual Global Game Jam event. Students usually meet on Champlain campus or at one of the Montreal sites to join in the event either virtually or in-person. The structure of a jam is that everyone gathers on Friday late afternoon, watches a short video keynote address with advice from leading game developers, and then a secret theme is announced. All sites worldwide are then challenged to make games based on that same theme, with games to be completed by Sunday afternoon.
Champlain Game Developers Association
The CCGDA is an official chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA.org), a professional organization of game developers and educators. The CCGDA sponsors speakers and other professional events, runs the Global Game Jam, and organizes field trips to conferences. The CCGDA also has a town hall meeting at the beginning of each semester and hosts workshops to foster professional development.

State of the Art Tools and Software
One of the perks of being taught by industry experts is that they make sure you have access to the right tools and technology being used right now by professional grade studios.
As early as your first semester, you’ll start building the technical skills in game engine software like Unity and Unreal, and begin to understand how and when to use spaces in a level, construct an interface, establish moods, and direct a player’s attention through sound effects, lighting, camera angles, and text to create a complete working game.
What skills and knowledge are employers asking for from students?
Employers are looking for more than technical skills. Successful candidates in the hiring process also have
- Resilience and calm even under high stress situations and deadlines.
- Flexible, can-do attitudes, and empathy for team-mates.
- A mentality of life-long learning of new software, skills, approaches, and applications.
- Data analysis, both quantitative and qualitative.
- Global perspectives and cross cultural work habits that empower you to work with anyone from anywhere in the world regardless of background, identity, or origin.
Sign Up To Get a Poster + Helpful Info
We’ll send you info about our game majors plus a poster designed by our students when you fill out this form!
More Inside Game Studio Experience
Game Studio Majors
In any of our seven Game Development majors, you'll build relevant skills in your chosen area, so that by graduation you'll be ready to hit the ground running with the professional experience needed to work in a studio.
Hands on Opportunities in the Game Studio
There are plenty of events and opportunities both in and out of the classroom to help build skills beyond your major classes. Here, you can form community networks of friends and future coworkers.
Game Studio Faculty
Learn from the very best in Champlain’s Game Studio Experience, collaborating with faculty practitioners with years of practical experience in a complex industry.
Game Studio Portfolio
Explore our curated collection of student work featuring character sketches, environment renderings, design mock-ups, sizzle reels, and more.
Game Senior Show
The Game Studio’s Senior Show demonstrates what it means to be Champlain Ready. Every year, the show highlights the collaborative work of the studio's graduating class, which presents eight fully functional games.