A brave hero, an evil dragon, and an extraordinary adventure – these elements are at the heart of a new video game created by students at Osgoode Township High School. This fall, students in the Information and Communications Technology Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program launched their game “Lil Johnny Goes Home,” following a year of hard work and collaboration.
During 2022-2023, students engaged in months of planning, designing, testing, and programming the game using the industry-leading tool Unreal Engine 5. They came up with a concept where the main character, Johnny, is teleported to another dimension and must defeat a dragon to go back home.
Johnny’s journey spans 17 levels, each developed with immersive challenges and impressive visual design. Students collaborated to solve problems and ensure a high-quality gaming experience. In September, the game was released to the public on the online platform Steam, making it available to millions of players across the globe.
Through this experiential project, supported by the OCDSB’s Innovation and Adolescent Learning department, students gained hands-on experience using cutting-edge design tools and building skills to succeed in the field of game development. Their teacher, Marc Dubeau, shared about the experience:
“I am very proud of our students at Osgoode Township High School. They really rose to the occasion and worked together as a team, using their ability to problem-solve and find innovative solutions to the many challenges we faced. Many students fell into different roles, including music producer, programmer, play tester, and level designer. This experience was a positive catalyst for many of the students who chose computer science or game design in the high-tech field for their post-secondary education pathway.” – Marc Dubeau, Teacher
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Osgoode Township High School’s Information and Communications Technology SHSM program provides a unique opportunity to explore the world of 3D design, virtual reality, and virtual production. Students explore a wide range of skills including programming, storyboarding, game design workflows, digital media, and virtual production workflows. Previously, the students’ work has been recognized through an animation contest and a prestigious Epic MegaGrant.
This year, the students are busy participating in an international contest with Epic Games to compete against students around the globe in the first ever Rube Goldberg Design challenge. Students will use Unreal Engine to create a physics puzzle with several interactions. Later this year, they plan on developing a new game concept for release in the future.