Alexander Horowitz, Creative Craft Director at EA, spoke about how young people can use curiosity, passion and courage to turn creative skills into careers.
Amy Pejic, Director of Studio Operations at Criterion Games, spoke about how her daydreaming and chattiness as a child became key skills in her games career.
Pupils were offered a huge range of workshops throughout the Festivals, getting their hands-on with "Formula 1 Recycled Racers," where they learned about algorithms by building and racing balloon-powered cars. We also demystified the world of AI in "How Do Computers Learn?" from Machine Learning for Kids, exploring how computers use data to recognize patterns, and sparked creativity with "Private Joke ®: Future-Ready Fun," challenging pupils to invent new words and concepts. Throughout the day, participants honed various skills: aspiring broadcasters learned the art of "Creating Commentary," from esports commentator BOWIEtheHERO, while future game designers tackled the "Game Design Challenge," with mayamada, using everyday items to prototype their own tabletop games. Paul Curzon unveiled "The Magic of Computer Science," revealing the surprising connections between programming and magic tricks.
Beyond the workshops, the Exhibitor Area was a huge hit, offering a unique chance to meet video game professionals and try out a variety of family-friendly games from Newfangled Games, Fireshine and NinjaKiwi among others. The pupils each had a "How Do You Do?" card, which they used to ask industry professionals about careers, creativity and video game development.
