March 16, 2024 We had our 2nd annual Unreleased Games Arcade at CCNY, in partnership with the Gaming Pathways initiative. At UGA, high school game design students playtested games in various stages of development presented by local college and indie game developers.  Students then vote on their favorite games to win one of four awards: 

Best Visual Design: “Big Boss” by Hamra Digital
Best Game Mechanics “Let Him Cook” by Hector Feliciano, John Snyder, Nick Perell, Zach Stanford
Best Narrative “Report on the Death of Robert Evergreen” by the Local Rag (This studios features Darcelis “Darcy” Gutierrez, an Urban Arts Alum **AND** now Urban Arts Faculty.) 
TOP PRIZE Most Anticipated Game of 2024: “Sukokill” by Leo Lui (Urban Arts Alum & an ATA in the Core Saturday class!!!) 

Students came from Urban Arts Mastery programs and the #GamingPathways clubs at these schools: A.P. Randolph High school, CHAH, WHEELS, Thurgood Marshall Academy, High School for Law and Public Service (+ 5 students from a Boy Scouts troop!)

STATS
21 games 🕹 presented
52 game 👾 designers (all local college and/or #indiegamestudio)
101 students 🙌🏾 (30% more than last year!! 🆙)

GAMING PATHWAYS
“New York City has always been the center of innovation, but it’s time that New York City level up and finally become a leader in the digital gaming space. It’s time to take advantage of all the talent we have here in New York by investing in the future of gaming. This $2 million investment will help us reach more than 1,000 students over the next three years and diversify the gaming field. This is how we get stuff done for our young people and for New York City!” MAYOR OF NEW YORK ERIC ADAMS, MAY 16, 2022

We’re providing students with private-school level college-access services to ensure they earn the maximum in assistance and reduce their debt burden. While the success of this program is clear, we know that public education remains a critical space in need of investment. Graduating with minimum debt—or none at all—is the game changer for our community, impacting a student’s entire life trajectory.

So Urban Arts, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and the City University of New York (CUNY), is developing Gaming Pathways, a first ever, four-year, public-option Digital Game Design Bachelor’s Degree. Local Title 1 high school students will now define their futures within the U.S.’s largest urban university system and within NYC’s $2B digital sector. Our rigorous curriculum will be expanded to schools in Harlem, Upper Manhattan, and the Bronx, charting new paths to personal, academic, and career success in students’ own backyards.

These students, freshly qualified and encouraged in the digital space, can attend City College’s new program, graduate with no or minimal debt, and embark into NYC’s booming digital economy with local, high-paying jobs. “Gaming Pathways provides New York City students with a first-rate opportunity to access high-paying careers, while expressing their creativity in the city they love and call home,” said Kevin Wright, Chief Growth Officer. Urban Arts is a key component in NYC’s Economic Recovery Blueprint, to drive inclusive growth in the Digital Games Industry, strengthen pathways to education, degrees, and jobs in the sector and continue to advance the City as a leading hub for digital game development. Boosting a diverse talent pipeline ensures that the digital economy looks like all of New York.