The National High School Game Academy (NHSGA) is a selective six-week summer program hosted by Carnegie Mellon University that teaches high school students video game development using the same industry practices and methodologies from CMU's graduate Entertainment Technology program. Students spend the first two weeks in intensive coursework covering 2D and 3D art, software development, music composition, game design, and programming before spending the remaining four weeks building original games in multidisciplinary teams. The program offers a rare opportunity to develop real, portfolio-worthy projects under the guidance of one of the most respected game development programs in the world. For students passionate about game design, programming, or interactive media, NHSGA is one of the most rigorous and rewarding summer programs available.
Writing code to build software, automate tasks, or bring an idea to life on a screen.
Creating drawings, paintings, or other visual work to express ideas and observations.
Writing original musical pieces, from melodies to full arrangements.
Planning tasks, timelines, and resources to get a project done on schedule.
Delivering ideas clearly and confidently in front of an audience.
Guiding a group toward a shared goal and keeping everyone moving together.
Breaking down a challenge and working through it methodically to a solution.
Crafting original stories, poems, or scripts that express ideas and imagination.
Students develop original game prototypes using industry best practices and create portfolio-quality pieces.
Program in Unity and learn software development fundamentals as core curriculum components.
Students engage in game design and interactive storytelling, core elements of user experience design.
2D and 3D art classes teach visual design skills essential to game development and digital design.
Music composition and sound design are taught as specialized tracks within the game development curriculum.
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