Mohawk College’s gaming programs aim to change the industry
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Game Design and Esports Administration prepare students for a variety of roles in the booming sector while advancing equity, diversity and inclusion at every turn
Andrew Fedurko, Coordinator of Esports Administration and Lisa Funnell Associate Dean of Creatives Industries. with Mohawk College students TJ Beckham and Varsha Vinod
Two New Programs
New diploma programs in Game Design and Esports Administration are already attracting industry accolades for student skills and for Mohawk College’s commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in the booming gaming sector.
The College’s Esports program launched in September, following the kickoff last fall of Game Design.
“The students are very enthusiastic,” says Lisa Funnell, Associate Dean of Creatives Industries.
“They want to learn. They want to be part of this industry. They're passionate about gaming and they are eager and excited about coming to class.”
Game Design and Esports Administration perfectly complement each other, says Funnell.
“If you want to create the games, you can go into Game Design. If you want to be in the business of the gaming world, you want to host events, you want to train players, you want to be a player, you have this other space of Esports Administration, and so we're talking about different sides of the same industry.”
As the programs get established, the vision is that esports students will host events based on student games developed at Mohawk College. Those games will be available to play in student areas.
“We want anybody going through Mohawk College to be able to test out and play our student games. It’s an amazing thing if you're an artist or a creator when your work is placed on display. There's a professionalization that comes with that.”
The gaming industry is a behemoth and it’s still growing. The global industry generated $184 billion in 2022, which is 3.5 times more than the movie and music industries combined.
Lisa Funnell, Associate Dean of Creatives Industries.
Empowering women
Reports indicate more than 20 million Canadians are active video game players, with an almost equal number of male and female players. But women haven’t always found their rightful place either working in the industry or as participants at gaming events, says Jessica Medeiros, who launched Femme Gaming in 2020.
“I started Femme Gaming because I saw a clear need for more representation and support for women in gaming. The industry wasn’t exactly set up to be welcoming, and I knew we could create a space where women not only felt included but truly empowered to succeed,” she says.
Femme Gaming and Mohawk College have entered an educational partnership after working together on a number of industry events.
“When we talked to Femme Gaming, we realized how perfectly aligned their goals were with our vision and goals,” says Funnell. “Everyone should feel welcomed in gaming, whether they are a player, a creator, or an event organizer.”
Femme Gaming builds community through mentorship, providing resources, and organizing events that help women thrive in gaming. Mohawk is the perfect partner for Femme Gaming, she says, because the College is determined to change the industry.
“I’m hoping this partnership helps students gain real, hands-on experience in the gaming industry while promoting inclusivity. The goal is to open doors for students, especially women, and make them feel confident and prepared to enter the field.”
Funnell says Mohawk College has a responsibility to educate industry creators and leaders who understand that there is a place for everyone in gaming. “We were intentional in seeking out a highly diverse and qualified faculty.”
“Everybody should feel comfortable in gaming, whether that’s in the content of the games themselves or the actual gaming environments. That is just good for business. We lose great talent and great players and great creators if we don't create these types of places and spaces. Fifty per cent of gamers out there identify as women. And yet, when you look at the competitive sphere, they are severely underrepresented. We believe it's our job as educators to help bridge that gap.”
In addition to the Femme Gaming partnership, there are other early wins for Mohawk College’s gaming programs.
A group of Game Design students took second place for best overall game at the prestigious Level Up industry event in Toronto last year.
“They came in with not even a year's worth of training, and our students are already competing and performing at the highest level, and that put our program on the map,” says Funnell.
The two-year Esports Administration program will train students in team and league management, event management, marketing and sponsorship, and broadcasting and production.
They will be prepared to work in the fast-growing esports sector. Next year, a new 7,200-seat esports arena is expected to be completed on Toronto’s waterfront and the inaugural Olympic Esports Games will be held in Saudi Arabia.
“We want students to be able to come into our space and see what is possible, to understand that a community college is for everyone, and this space is also for them.”
Cutting-edge facilities
“We believe that gaming is really that glue that can hold our community together,” says Andrew Fedurko, who is coordinator of Esports Administration. “We want students to be able to come into our space and see what is possible, to understand that a community college is for everyone, and this space is also for them.”
Instruction and experiential learning will be happening in the Mohawk College eSports Community Arena (MECA) now under construction within the Digital Creativity Centre (DCC).
The future MECA will be a sleek modern space with flashing LED lights, high-end computers, and screens, an advanced sound system, a broadcasting centre and a cool black and white colour scheme with pink accents.
A gaming classroom features high-powered machines for face-to-face gaming, a portable of mobile broadcast system, gaming stations, and consoles.
“Our students will learn in these spaces, but also will learn how to manage the spaces,” says Fedurko. “So there's some experiential learning, hosting events, hosting tournaments, and then being able to collaborate with the DCC and with the events we're doing through MECA to host things on a larger scale.”
Mohawk students will also have access to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment gaming events at the Bell Gaming Centre at Toronto’s Exhibition Place and to learning opportunities with local esports company Incendium Gaming.
Fedurko’s path to esports came after a career as a player agent, hockey coach, general manager and executive director with teams and leagues.
“So I've been around sport my whole life. And one of the differentiators of our program is that we're not treating esports any differently than sports. They are part of the same larger ecosystem. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment own the biggest sports teams in the country, and they're invested in this.”
For Funnell, the “interesting sweet spot” of potential is the intersection of traditional physical sports with esports, including the use of AVR to test and enhance skills and practise game and competition situations.
To that end, Mohawk College’s new Esports program is working with campus athletics and recreation to build an e-varsity team.
Students have high praise for Mohawk College’s gaming program.
Varsha Vinod in an international student from Kuwait who is in her second year of Game Design. She had been focused on a biotechnology program but did “a 360” when she learned about Mohawk College’s new program.
“I’m inclined towards the artistic side of things. I love to draw. So my favourite classes have been 2D and 3D design and sound design. I was intimidated by the coding side, but I’ve been doing well so far.”
Faculty have a lot of industry experience, says Vinod.
“They have a lot to offer and a lot of advice to give us as well. So that has really motivated me.”
Vinod, who dreams of a job as a character or environment designer, says she appreciates Mohawk’s focus on inclusion, especially as a woman embarking on a career in gaming.
“I am passionate about gaming and I believe the gaming community is becoming more inclusive for everyone.”
Her classmate Trevor Beckham had been working in digital marketing for about seven years when he decided his love of video games was impossible to ignore any longer.
“When I was in high school, I always wanted to do something with gaming. I just didn't think I had the abilities to code or actually make a game, and that's what led me to the marketing side. But it was last September, a game had come out called Starfield. I'm a big space fan. I was super stoked for the game, and playing it reminded me of the impact games can have. I just felt a sense of like wonder and exploration and a desire to experience this world they created.”
When he was a teenager, Beckham says video games – Assassin’s Creed, in particular – saved his life.
“If I can make a game that can touch even one person, like those games have done for me, I could be happy.”
He’s thrilled that his instructors come from some of the biggest and most successful gaming companies in the world.
Along with another Mohawk College student and a third friend, Beckham has founded his own gaming company called Treebear Interactive, which is developing its first game. He is focused on the business side of the enterprise.
Beckham was a member of the Mohawk College team that took second place among more than 90 teams from colleges across the province at Level Up last year.
During Mohawk College’s Design Week last year, Game Design students were tasked with creating a two-player arcade game that had something to do with twins. Beckham was on a team of eight and in four days they had built Bedlam Brothers, which saw two people moving a twin mattress through a house.
Beckham was shocked by the win and says it solidified his faith in his learning at Mohawk College.
Design Week competitions each semester offer a real-world taste of building a game from scratch.
“By the time I graduate, I will have six games to showcase that I have worked on. That is great experience.”
“I am passionate about gaming and I believe the gaming community is becoming more inclusive for everyone.”
This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.
