Caps Off to SFUSD-Zynga.org Game Design Academy Graduates
May 17 2016 - 6:00PM
Zynga.org will today host the second annual Game Design Academy
Demo Day and Graduation at Zynga’s San Francisco headquarters. The
demo day and celebration is part of San Francisco Unified School
District (SFUSD) and Zynga.org’s Game Design Academy program, which
leverages students’ interest and excitement around games to teach
the fundamentals of technology education and computer science and
to prepare the next generation of tech industry professionals to
fill the jobs of tomorrow.
“It’s amazing to see how far our Game Design Academy students
have come over the last two years,” said Erin Baudo Felter,
Executive Director of Zynga.org. “From our first Zynga Game Jam
where students built simple paper prototypes to today’s demos of
fully developed original games, this is our partnership with SFUSD
coming to life in the best way possible. These students are the
future of games, and we know that this experience will allow them
to move forward confidently in their own careers.”
The event recognizes this year’s 66 graduating seniors from the
Game Design Academies at Balboa and Thurgood Marshall high schools.
Beginning with 36 students in 2013, the program now serves more
than 220 students during the 2015-2016 school year. More than 100
Zynga employees have invested nearly 800 hours supporting students
through annual events like Game Jam and Career Day. Graduating
students who have worked on final game projects in teams will
showcase their work to an audience of teachers, administrators,
parents and Zynga mentors. Zynga employees who have been involved
in the students’ projects for the last two years – supporting all
aspects of game development including design, prototyping and
pitching – will provide feedback and next steps for the graduating
students.
“The Game Design Academy is an excellent example today of
hands-on learning at its best,” said SFUSD Superintendent Richard
Carranza. “We value partners like Zynga.org who are helping to
build pathways to tech and Computer Science in ways that meet
students where they are, and engage them because they are learning
by doing.”
Zynga.org also announced today the launch of G:RL Game Makers.
In partnership with BAVC, a San Francisco-based arts and tech
nonprofit lab, G:RL Game Makers is a summer game development
fellowship for Bay Area girls ages 14-18. The program challenges
the next generation of game makers to develop their own concepts
and learn the basics of design and coding. Female game makers from
Zynga will work hand-in-hand with the girls this summer to expose
students to future careers and explore themes of female empowerment
and community.
About Zynga.orgZynga.org's mission is to help
make the world a better place through games. Zynga.org has inspired
more than 10 million players to contribute nearly $25 million
through 200 in-game campaigns benefiting 50 nonprofit partners.
These funds have supported the work of results-driven nonprofits
worldwide, including partners like Direct Relief International,
Save the Children, Habitat for Humanity, KaBOOM!, St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital, Water.org, Wildlife Conservation
Society, and World Food Programme.
About Zynga Inc.Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq:ZNGA) is a
leading developer of the world's most popular social games that are
played by millions of monthly consumers. The company has created
evergreen franchises such as FarmVille, Zynga Casino and Words With
Friends. Zynga's NaturalMotion, an Oxford-based mobile game and
technology developer, is the creator of hit mobile games in popular
entertainment categories, including CSR Racing, CSR Classics and
Clumsy Ninja. Zynga games have been played by more than 1 billion
people around the world and are available on a number of global
platforms including Apple iOS, Google Android, Facebook and
Zynga.com. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif.
Learn more about Zynga at http://blog.zynga.com or follow us
on Twitter and Facebook.
ContactKelly Pakulakpakula@zynga.com(415)
254-4462
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