ASU MIX Center – ASU Endless Games & Learning Lab
Abbett Family Foundation – The Mesa For All Foundation

Increasingly accessible and easy-to-use tools have made it possible to build completely virtual worlds filled with intricate story tapestries – we see this in the booming video game industry, in contemporary cinema, and in emerging media for virtual realities. Neurodivergent youth on the autism spectrum and beyond have incredible and unique perspectives to bring to this era of fantastic worldbuilding, but in many cases they lack the opportunities and communities to support their development of these skills. The prevalence rate of autism has recently increased to 1 in 31 children, and young adults with ASD have the lowest early career employment rates among all disabilities. Only about 50% of young adults with ASD have ever worked for pay by the time they reach the end of their 20s, and various studies estimate that the unemployment rate for adults on the spectrum hovers between 50% and 75%. Two of the primary factors in this issue are lack of professional education in sectors that accommodate neurodivergent identities and a lack of explicit (conscious) confidence in their own abilities.

The gaming industry provides a uniquely aligned opportunity for neurodivergent youth to find professional success alongside an opportunity for personal expression.

Camp Level Up is a summer camp hosted by Arizona State University (ASU). The camp aims to empower middle and high school students with skills in STEM, leadership, creativity, and personal development through hands-on, game-based learning experiences. Through a diverse curriculum, campers will participate in specialized tracks such as game design and development, innovation, digital and creative arts, and technology. Each track is designed to challenge campers, while also encouraging collaboration, creative problem-solving, and teamwork.

The camp is offered to youth ages 13 – 19 and will be located at the ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center at Mesa City Center. The program runs in three weekly sessions, with optional extended hours for even more building and creativity. Every camper earns ASU microcredentials, and the experience wraps with a Final Showcase where families play student-created games.

This year we are offering 3 one-week courses! The same curriculum for Endstar, Unity and Unreal Engine will be offered each week. Participants can sign up for camp on a week by week basis. If they would like, they can sign up for one, two or all three weeks! The cost is $100 per week.

Camp Highlights:
-Learn game development directly from experts at Unity and the Unreal Engine community leader
-Dive into immersive storytelling with Dreamscape from DreamWorks Entertainment
-Build real-world creations in the ASU Fabrication Lab — including your own Bluetooth cigar box guitar!
-Brainstorm and test games with designers from Endless Studios
-Race on the giant screen with Mario Kart tournaments
-Earn official ASU micro-credentials in game design and creative technology
-Wrap it all up with a Showcase Celebration for friends, family & ASU faculty

Scholarship Opportunity:
A scholarship option is available, but must be done BEFORE registering. To apply for a scholarship, each participant must answer the question below in 200 words and email it to me (Kenya Thompson) at kthom146@asu.edu:
Scholarship Question: How would attending Camp Level Up change your skills, confidence, or future opportunities? 

The teens who join Level Up will emerge able to create their own games and media experiences and with a community of like-minded peers.

Each day’s session will be three hours of instruction and mentored collaborative work, mixed in with guest talks from industry-leading professionals and fun enrichment experiences. Parents and caregivers are more than welcome to attend with their students. After-care activities, including gameplay and art-making experiences, are available for an additional four hours for interested families*. Our generous sponsors and partners allow us to provide this opportunity well below cost, with the tuitions for each student only $300 for the full three weeks. Scholarships to reduce those costs further are available for families in need. At the beginning of the three weeks, families should plan to attend a virtual orientation session for all participants, and at the end of the camp, everyone is invited to view the Level Up Showcase celebrating the work of all of our participants!

*after care is an additional $150