(Design from "Terminal Station." Courtesy of Keyanna Young.)
 
Hostos Community College’s Game Design program is helping students level-up their skills and get valuable hands-on experience. The trailblazing program explores design, art, animation and coding for game development, and encompasses a range of experiences from analog to digital game design — all of which were a major draw for students Natalie González and Keyanna Young.

González transferred from Hunter College, where she studied computer science, to Hostos in 2021 in pursuit of a more specialized major. “I always loved to code but wanted to do it specifically for game design,” she shared. “Not many colleges offer a game design degree, but Hostos did.” 

It was a game-changing move for her. In addition to arming her with invaluable industry skills and knowledge, González said the program has had a positive impact on how she views herself. “It helped me gain confidence. I am a video game designer,” she declared.

It has also helped broaden her horizons and opened her eyes to specialties that she hadn’t previously considered.

“There are so many different roles in game design — coding, design, music production, graphic design, and more,” she said.

Furthermore, González has channeled her passion for game design into her work as the program’s community manager, through which she oversees the program’s Discord server, an interactive digital community through which users communicate via text, video, or voice. She also promotes and creates flyers for Game Design events, and gathers feedback from her classmates. She enjoys her role — funded by the Mentor/Mentee Jobs On Campus Initiative made possible thanks to Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s generous gift to the College — and likes that it motivates her to stretch and grow. “I’m an introvert, so I honestly wouldn’t have imagined myself reaching out to others or stepping outside of my comfort zone, so I like how this makes me want to be involved after school,” she said. “I’m not just going straight home after school, I’m staying on campus and meeting new people — being more involved in student clubs than I had before."

Like González, Keyanna Young was looking for a college program that would combine her interests — in her case, visual art and gaming. 

“I’ve always been into video games as a kid,” she said. “I’ve always liked the artistry of it, and I wanted to emulate that for myself. Hostos gave me the platform to do it.”

Young started her journey at Hostos in 2021, and in the summer of 2022 she interned for Other Possible Games, Hostos’ in-house, student-led game design studio. Over the course of six weeks, she worked on “Terminal Station,” a 2-D psychological horror video game in which gamers play as the protagonist’s 10-year-old inner child stuck in a scary subway station. In order to win, or find a way out, they must navigate life’s obstacles and face-off against different facets of the protagonist’s trauma. 
Signage for in-game station.
(Design from "Terminal Station." Courtesy of Keyanna Young.)
 
From conception to execution, the entire experience was invaluable to Young, who had a hand in the game design, level design, concept art, and protagonist animation. She particularly enjoyed collaborating with her peers and learning from professionals in the field. “It was honestly really fun because we all shared ideas for what we wanted to do, and it eventually came down to a vote,” she said, adding: “We got a lot of intel and hands-on experience during the internship, and it was a once in a lifetime thing.”

Overall, Young said the Game Design program has been challenging but worth it. “I’ve become a stronger artist since joining this program. I’ve seen a lot of personal growth when it comes to approaching and solving situations, and it gave me more of a community in a way.”

Looking ahead, both González and Young are eager to apply their experiences and skills to careers in the gaming industry. Young wants to get her foot in the door as a concept artist and González has her sights set on someday working for Microsoft, on their XBOX team. We wish them the best of luck!

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Hostos was the first public college in New York to offer a degree program in game design, and it is the only one of its kind within The City University of New York (CUNY) and The State University of New York (SUNY) systems. Learn more about Hostos’ Game Design Program here.