TUS Gaming Camp Ignites Creativity in Aspiring Young Developers

Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), Athlone Campus, recently became a hub of creativity and innovation for the next generation of game developers.

From August 12-17, 27 enthusiastic students from local secondary schools—including Banagher College, Coláiste Chiarán, Marist College, Our Lady's Bower, Tullamore College, and Mercy Secondary Kilbeggan—immersed themselves in the world of 2D game creation at the TUS Gaming Camp.

TUS Athlone PhD student Samantha O'Sullivan is pictured with students from local secondary schools across Westmeath and Offaly at the TUS Gaming Camp.		Denis McCarthy, a lecturer specialising in programming languages, data mining and databases, teaches 27 aspiring gaming developers from secondary schools across Westmeath and Offaly at the TUS Gaming Camp.

Held in TUS Athlone’s state-of-the-art Engineering Building, this week-long camp was more than just a crash course in coding; it offered an all-encompassing adventure into game design, testing, and deployment, giving students hands-on experience with the GameMaker IDE—the same powerful tool behind indie hit games like Hotline Miami and Undertale.

Each day presented new challenges and learning opportunities for the young developers: From day 1, being introduced to the basics, exploring game controls and character creation to more advanced tasks like adding music, menus, info screens, and even challenging enemies to their games.

By day 3, participating students were experimenting with character creation and collectibles, with one student even successfully deploying their game onto their phone.

As the week progressed, the students' games became increasingly sophisticated and by the penultimate day of the camp, they powered up their projects with health pickups, secondary weapons, and throwable items, turning their games into truly immersive experiences.

Finally, on the last day of the camp, every student proudly deployed their fully functional 2D shooter games onto their phones and PCs—a testament to their hard work and creativity.

The camp, designed for secondary students from 2nd to 6th year interested in ICT, required no prior experience, making it accessible to all who were curious about game development.

The students were guided by TUS Athlone lecturer Denis McCarthy and PhD student Samantha O’Sullivan, who were thrilled with the progress made by the participants.

“This camp was an incredible opportunity for students to step into the shoes of a game developer,” said Denis, a lecturer specialising in programming languages, data mining and databases.

“It’s been amazing to watch them grow and see their ideas come to life through coding and design. We hope the camp has left a lasting impression on these young developers, equipping them with the tools and confidence to continue their journey in game development.”

Samantha, who holds a BSc in Software Design from TUS Athlone and is now pursuing a PhD in ICT, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The creativity and technical skills these students have displayed are remarkable. They’ve not only learned how to code but also how to think like game developers, considering every aspect from design to deployment. The future of gaming is bright, and it’s starting right here in Athlone!”