Highlights from the Game and Entertainment Design Program at Otis College

Student-led game development, industry engagement, and a new publishing initiative defines a dynamic semester.

The Game and Entertainment Design program at Otis College continues to expand opportunities for students to develop, produce, and share original work within professional contexts. “Through collaborative projects, industry engagement, and evolving curriculum initiatives, students are gaining experience that reflects the pace and expectations of the game and entertainment industries,” says Chair Joffery Black. 

Program Highlights

Otis Game Expo, an annual spring event, brought together students from across the College to pitch game concepts, form teams, and produce a finished project within a two-week timeline. The event showcased nine original playable games built by over 70 student developers across art, design, engineering, and narrative. 

The final submissions from these ambitious projects were reviewed by alumni from the industry, including Chrystal Hemphill (’24 BFA Digital Media), George Fuentes (’07 BFA Digital Media), and Leon Figueiredo (’25 BFA Digital Media). The winning team earned the opportunity to showcase their work at LightBox Expo, a major industry event for films, animation, and games held each year in Pasadena, California. Katie Letourneau (’27 Game and Entertainment Design, Concept Art) led the winning team for her game Lonan’s Day Out.

The Game and Entertainment Design program has seen tremendous growth in student-led game development and will respond by launching Otis Game Publishing across multiple outlets to support this work. This new initiative is a vital step forward in bringing student work to public gaming platforms in the near future.

Industry Engagement and Curriculum Development

This semester, juniors and seniors visited Treyarch Studios in nearby Playa Vista, where they toured the facilities and met with company representatives. Founded in 1996, Treyarch is known for developing titles within the popular Call of Duty: Black Ops series, as well as projects such as Spider-Man and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The visit offered students insight into studio environments and professional production pipelines.

The program continues to refine its curriculum through structured student feedback. This year, input from class representatives—two sophomores, two juniors, and one senior—informed ongoing improvements to coursework, program structure, and the overall student experience. Beginning next semester, a newly formed group of students, called Game Ambassadors, will be incorporated into this feedback process to further support program development.

Events and Community

During O-Launch 2026, Game and Entertainment Design students will present a curated show and interactive experiences in both the Forum and the fifth floor of the Ahmanson Building, highlighting their work and inviting engagement from the Otis community and beyond.

The program has also welcomed back alums Eli Sanchez (’21 BFA Digital Media) and Chu Chuntu (’18 BFA Digital Media) as faculty members this past year. Sanchez is a 3D animator and artist who works in graphic design for the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Chuntu is a senior product designer at MGA Entertainment.

As the Game and Entertainment program at Otis College continues to grow, these various initiatives and highlights reflect a sustained focus on collaborative production, industry connections, and student-driven development.

Learn more about Game and Entertainment Design at Otis.

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