Design games. Build worlds.

Overview

The Art of Video Games is an interdisciplinary, hands-on summer camp for high school students of any age and background who are interested in the art and design of video games. 

This is not just a coding camp—together, we'll explore all aspects of game design and game studies, from art to writing to conceptual design to programming. Throughout the week, students will analyze games as thoughtfully designed experiences while simultaneously building their own interactive projects. Whether their passion lies in storytelling, visual design, programming, or simply playing and thinking critically about games, students will find their place in this program.

Register Today Request Information
A person sitting at a desk with a computer

Key Facts

Dates: July 6, 2026 - July 10, 2026
Age Group: 14 – 18-year-olds
Areas of Study: Game Studies, Computer Science, Visual Art
Experience: Residential
Cost: $1,650.00

Experiences: Applicants choose their top two program options. Aviation (Daytime) may be paired with one Residential experience, as it runs the week after Residential programs.

Tentative Schedule

Daily Structure 

  • Morning sessions combine interactive discussion with hands-on learning
  • Afternoon sessions are dedicated to team project work with instructor support 

Time

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

AM

Game studies & design fundamentals

Storytelling & player experience

Unreal Engine & Blender basics

Art & visual design work

Refine & future planning

PM

Group formation & ideation

Game research & analysis

Game design & planning

Prototype development

Game demos & feedback

Get to Know Your Professors

person wearing a pink and blue top, glasses and smiling for a photo outdoors

Acacia Ackles 

Acacia Ackles is an assistant professor of Computer Science with a background in Computational & Theoretical Biology. Her research focuses on using developing new computational ways to think about and measure evolutionary processes. Her teaching is focused on developing independent thinkers, learners, and problem solvers for the modern digital world

A person with purple hair and smiling

Angela Vanden Elzen

Angela Vanden Elzen is an Associate Professor and Reference & Learning Technologies Librarian at Lawrence University. Angela's academic interests include: game culture studies, especially related to gender, identity, and families, video game history, makerspace pedagogies and inclusive makerspaces.