Student board games set for global release   

Two innovative new board games, designed as a college project, are propelling a group of creative young gamers into a global industry.   

The team of students, who currently study the UAL Games Design & Animation course at Cornwall College Camborne, have designed and produced the two fully realised games as part of Board Game School, an industry-focused curriculum project delivered annually by the College. 

Over just eight days, the aspiring games designers created both ‘The Canvas Code’ and ‘Time Spies’ alongside Spysquad HQ, a non-profit educational games company based in the UK, Canada, America and Australia.  

Based on the success of the students’ work, preparations are in now place for Spysquad HQ to release both board games to a global market in Spring 2022.  

“The idea behind Board Game School is to teach key employability skills in an environment that reflects a professional production company,” explained Mat Warner, Study Programme Manager for Games Design at Cornwall College. 

“The students have all worked incredibly hard in difficult times. Up against the challenge of the pandemic, they have managed to establish a professional and Covid-safe working environment, meeting and delivering production updates to the SpySquad HQ team in Canada and Brighton via online meetings,” continued Mat. 

“Not only that but they also delivered a live premiere event in just eight production days, which is a truly staggering achievement. The creativity, resilience, dedication and passion they’ve shown throughout the project has been inspiring. Having both board games slated for official release demonstrates the high level the students are working at.” 

In line with SpySquad HQ’s company ethos, the student-produced games targeted 8–12-year-olds and featured multimedia elements as an important part of the gameplay. Within the theme of international espionage, both teams mixed elements of traditional board games with video games, allowing for a final product that delivers both a physical and digital user experience.    

Curriculum projects emulating real-industry scenario are a common feature of the teaching practice across The Cornwall College Group. Equipping students with practical skills and knowledge, this type of hands-on learning is reflective of the company’s established reputation as ‘the career college’. 

“The Board Game School experience placed the students front and centre in a full production process, from pitching to product development, game testing, social media marketing and live event management,” Mat remarked.  

“Their achievements and what they have learned from the process will be invaluable as they progress with their careers.”    

For 17-year-old games design student Emily Kershaw from Hayle, it’s certainly been a “rewarding experience.”  

 “As Assistant Game Director on the project, I’ve learned a lot of new skills through the various roles that I had to take on,” continued Emily.  

 “My part in the team meant that I was split across all aspects of the game, and It’s been lots of fun getting involved in the different areas of the game’s development.” 

 I’m really proud of what we managed to come up with but the fact that the games will be officially released By Spysquad HQ is just incredible.”   

 To find out more about the range of courses available at Cornwall College, visit our next Open Event on 19th May in Camborne and St Austell.