TEC Leimert Announces the Launch of A New South L.A. Based Video Game Development Lab Supported by Major Game Developers
Game Wizards South Los Angeles is set to launch on June 24th and is sponsored by industry leaders Clever Endeavour, Epic Games, Riot Games and Supercell to train local youth for careers in the video game industry
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) June 16, 2023 - TEC Leimert, a technology and entertainment non-profit organization focused on building pathways for local youth interested in pursuing creative careers in an emerging digital landscape, announces the launch of a new video game development lab program called, Game Wizards South L.A. (Game Wizards SoLA).
The program is set to launch on June 24, 2023 at Los Angeles City College for interested local South Los Angeles youth between the ages 18-28 years old. To apply, visit tecleimert.org/game-wizards for more information.
The inaugural four-month Game Wizards SoLA training program is supported by video game giants Epic Games, Riot Games, Supercell and Clever Endeavour. The curriculum is designed to introduce students to different career pathways in the video games industry and help them build essential creative and technical skills in programming, production, art, and design.
Game Wizards - Page 2
“TEC Leimert actively explores ways in which we can create job opportunities for local youth with creative companies in the tech & entertainment sectors,” said Rashidi Jones, Co-Founder, TEC Leimert. “Through the generous support of these major game development companies and the collaboration with The Vision Lab @ South L.A., we believe this is how we level the playing field in 2023 and diversify workforces in the creative sector with accessible career pathways for talented youth to plug in.”
Program supporters like Riot Games have demonstrated their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the video gaming industry through community sponsorships like the Game Wizards SoLA development lab.
“When we started our partnership with TEC Leimert two years ago, we knew their mission aligned with our vision to foster a gaming industry that reflects the diversity of the world we live in,” said Patty Dingle, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Riot Games. “We're proud to support their efforts to intentionally create access for the next generation of gaming professionals from communities that have been traditionally overlooked. We've seen firsthand how representation can have a positive impact on everyone and how it plays a critical role in making these deeply resonant and authentic games.”
Game Wizards SoLA students are provided with advanced training via a rigorous program curriculum that trains them using industry standard concepts and practices to help prepare them for video game careers.
“Supercell is excited to support the new Game Wizards SoLa video game development lab to help introduce, prepare, and equip a new generation of game makers,” said Ryan Wener, GM of Supercell's new North America Studio. “The game development community has a lot of work to do to address the diversity gap in development, and we look forward to partnering with Game Wizards to continue that work.”
Game Wizards - Page 3
The lab is made possible by the support from industry leaders Supercell, Epic Games, Clever Endeavour and Riot Games — along with the collaboration of the Vision Lab @ South L.A., demonstrates the positive impact on communities when the private sector, nonprofits and local governments work together to prepare youth for creative careers.
The Game Wizards SoLA program addresses the challenges of the digital divide in underserved communities and provides a way for students to level the playing field and pursue lucrative gaming careers regardless of race or gender.
“With the rapid proliferation of technologies such as generative AI and user-generated content, it’s an opportune time to develop video games and interactive media,” said Karla Reyes, Technology Advisor-Game Development, TEC Leimert. “Yet there is still an appallingly wide diversity gap with only 20% female game developers and 2% Black developers. Game Wizards aims to address this gap and further reduce barriers to entry by not only introducing aspiring developers to careers in games but also equipping them with technical and soft skills needed to succeed.”
Game Wizards SoLA was developed from a previous program Eric Elder, TEC Leimert’s Head of Strategy created when he launched the Game Art & Design program in 2001 at the Art Institute in Santa Monica. “We were one of the first schools to offer a Bachelor’s Degree in game development at the Art Institute, so I know its value and that’s the primary reason why I was interested in bringing this advanced training to students in South L.A.,” said Elder.
TEC Leimert combats the digital divide in South L.A. by presenting its annual technology and entertainment conference in Leimert Park called, “Black to the Future '' and through workforce development programs like Game Wizards SoLA. Other development labs include, NXT LVL, a social media lab launched in 2020; Audio Affect, a music technology lab in partnership with Serato Studio and a Sneaker & Apparel Design lab launching later this year to give young South L.A. designers opportunities to break into the sneaker and fashion design industry.
To apply for entry into the Game Wizards SoLA lab or for more information about upcoming workshops, please visit tecleimert.org/game-wizards.
Game Wizards - Page 3
About TEC Leimert
TEC Leimert seeks to connect individuals in the South Los Angeles community to art and tech thought leaders, while exposing them to innovations in entertainment and technology. TEC stands for Technology Entertainment Convergence. The organization produces programming to bridge the digital divide including an annual TEC Conference in Leimert Park Village. For more information, visit www.tecleimert.org.
About Epic Games
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is an American company founded by CEO Tim Sweeney. The company is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina and has more than 40 offices worldwide. Today Epic is a leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. Epic operates Fortnite, one of the world’s largest games with over 350 million accounts and 2.5 billion friend connections. Epic also develops Unreal Engine, which powers the world’s leading games and is also adopted across industries such as film and television, architecture, automotive, manufacturing, and simulation.
About Riot Games
Riot Games, founded in 2006, is committed to changing how video games are developed, published, and supported for players. League of Legends, which was released to worldwide acclaim, is the most-played PC game and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. Riot strives to evolve the world of video games with new IP (Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift) and multimedia projects across music, comic books, board games, and animation with the Emmy Award-winning series Arcane which debuted on Netflix in 2021. Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
About Supercell
Supercell is a game company based in Helsinki, Finland, with offices in San Francisco, Seoul and Shanghai. Since its launch in 2010, the company has brought five games to the global market: Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Clash Royale and Brawl Stars. Supercell’s dream is to create games that as many people as possible play for years and that are remembered forever.
Visit their website at: supercell.com
Clever Endeavour
Clever Endeavour Games is a dynamic team, each bringing our unique skill set and experience to the table to create amazing games.We are committed to making games with a focus on unique mechanics rather than basing ourselves on pre-existing genres, and we want to create games that bring people together.We released Ultimate Chicken Horse, a multiplayer party platformer, in 2016 on Steam and then ported it to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
About Vision Lab
The Vision Lab is a new initiative run by the City of L.A. to address the inequities of the digital divide. The program is intended to support entrepreneurs in South L.A. seeking to address the digital divide, train youth and adults in skills that may lead to jobs in the tech sector, and empower small businesses to modernize their operations. We run a 10-week business idea accelerator and host free educational events.
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam