THE GAMING PATHWAYS PROGRAM
The Gaming Pathways Program
The Gaming Pathways Program responds to the Mayor’s call for the City University through City College of New York to develop a public option for those interested in pursuing educational opportunities and careers in the digital gaming industry and related fields. It includes a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The City College of New York (CCNY), Urban Arts and its School of Interactive Arts, and the Harlem Gallery of Science.
The Gaming Pathways Program leads students to pursue a degree in digital game design from CCNY. During August of 2022, the first group of Gaming Pathways students officially began taking the new game design courses within the newly-offered degree track.
To learn more about the Gaming Pathways Program visit the Gaming Pathways Website.
Why do youth play video games?
To answer this question, we asked high school students in Harlem, Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx and college students attending The City College of New York. Over the next five months in early 2021, we engaged with high school students (N=70), college students, (N=109) and educators (N=25).
What we learned is that youth use games to overcome obstacles. For example, more introverted students utilize games as a medium to make friends. They spoke about using games to build social networks, to improve their academic performance, and to pursue careers, such as a physician’s assistant in an emergency room or becoming a videographer who produces trailer videos for digital games or the essential skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, team building, communication skills and creativity.
To view the full report, click here.
Our Gaming Pathways consultant, Barry Joseph, has started a blog detailing the findings of this multifaceted study. Browse the following articles he has written to learn more: Re-Centering Around Agency, Shaping Feelings and Identity, Finding Community, Gaming: The Future
“Gaming is the great equalizer.”
A Call to Action…
At the same time HGS was collaborating with CCNY to learn why youth play video games, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment was conducting a study of the economic impact on digital games on the economy of NYC.
On March 10, 2022 Mayor Adams issued his economic plan, “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” and made the expansion of the digital gaming industry in NYC one of his Administration’s priorities.
The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment is making a $2 million investment in the Gaming Pathways Program, an initiative to reach students from marginalized communities and equip them with the tools to succeed in the workforce. Leveraging students’ interest in gaming to engage them in STEM education will not only aid students, but the economy; the goal is to build upon local talent and potential to stimulate NYC’s game design industry.
On May 16, 2022, the organizations who made the Gaming Pathways Program possible joined together with NYC Mayor Eric Adams to announce CCNY’s addition of a degree in Digital Game Design. Learn more here.