Innovators! - Grand Arcade Studio - Fall 2026 (8-13+ yrs)

Interested but unsure? Check out our Early Innovators (6-8 yrs)! Starting September 23, 24, and 26th! Building Confidence and Skills Innovators! A weekly hands-on design and engineering program, where kids get to explore, learn, and get creative with technology. Across 12 project-focused weeks, participants will break a large creative challenge down into small, actionable project chunks, learning code, craft, electronics, art, and design along the way. This program fosters ingenuity, empathy, resilience, and confidence while preparing our students with the digital literacy skills to be safe and smart in our ever-evolving digital and connected world. Student Gallery and Showcase We're hosting a gallery! At the end of each term, our space will transform into an open gallery where students can display their work for the community to see. The gallery provides a tangible goal to work towards, with the purpose of celebrating student achievement and encourage engagement with the community. Our goal is to create a regular, seasonal event that everyone can look forward to. Innovators! - Grand Arcade Studio Duration: 12 Weeks; 80min classes Dates: September 23 - December 12 Innovators will take on the role of real-world game developers and hardware designers. Using the Godot engine, we'll learn to write code, graphic design, and how to craft imaginative worlds. Students will also have a hand in designing the hardware that their games play on in the form of custom controllers or specialized gaming devices, expanding on the idea that a gaming experience can extend beyond what's happening on-screen. Some experience required, including confidence on the computer and a curious mind! What Students Will Experience Game Development & Code: Design mechanics, create graphics, and write logic to build your unique video game Physical Prototyping & Hardware: Build a custom platform ranging from tabletop arcade cabinets to custom controllers Project Management: Learn what it takes to design a video game from concept to design, development to playtesting! Here's a look at our schedule: W01 - Game Design & Storytelling W02 - Character Design W03 - Game Dev #1 W04 - Game Dev #2 W05 - Game Dev #3 W06 - Hardware Design W07 - Hardware Enclosure Fabrication W08 - Game Dev #4 W09 - Game Dev #5 W10 - Game Dev #6 W11 - Catch-up and Improvements W12 - Final Touches and Playtesting Community Showcase and Grand Arcade! Our course concludes with a Grand Arcade to showcase everyone's hard work. The studio transforms into an interactive exhibit for family, friends, and the rest of the community to check out. Students from all classes are invited to set up their games, and of course, play! This will be a unique opportunity to proudly display the amazing things we've created, discover everyone's creative talent, and connect with our community over our love for video games!