How I Teach Game Development

When I teach game development, I’m not trying to turn students into programmers or artists overnight. I’m helping them understand the process — how creativity, logic, and structure come together to make something playable, something real.

That’s the foundation of how I teach at Game City Kajaani and through Toucan Studios. My goal isn’t just to show what buttons to press in Unreal Engine — it’s to show why those buttons matter.

🧩 Start Small, Think Big

Every student begins with an idea. It’s usually big — an open-world RPG, a multiplayer shooter, a cinematic adventure.

So, our first step is learning to shrink the idea down without losing its soul. We break it into a playable core: one mechanic, one space, one interaction.

Once that’s clear, I teach how to prototype fast using Unreal Engine’s Blueprint system. You don’t need a perfect model or animation — you need something you can test. That’s how students begin to see the game taking shape, even with cubes and placeholder art.

🐣 Student Projects and Mentorship

At Game City Kajaani, every student works on their own game — something they want to make. It can be a small puzzle, a story-driven prototype, or a simple platformer.

My role isn’t to tell them what game to build — it’s to mentor them through the process. I help them take their ideas, shape them into achievable goals, and build step by step until the game starts to come alive.

Each project becomes a personal learning journey. Some focus on art, some on gameplay logic, others on worldbuilding — but everyone learns by making their own creative choices.

🧠 Process Over Perfection

In my classes, it’s okay to make mistakes — in fact, it’s required.

We work in short sprints, just like real studios do. Each week, students pick one goal: a working door, a puzzle that resets, a simple combat system. They test it, show it, and improve it.

I remind them constantly:

“Your game doesn’t fail when it looks rough. It fails when you stop improving it.”

By focusing on process, they learn how professionals think — iterating, testing, refining.

🎨 Art Meets Code

I’ve always believed that great games live where art and logic meet.

That’s why I encourage students to switch roles often. An artist learns how a Blueprint node works. A coder learns how to light a scene.

These aren’t separate disciplines — they’re different ways of expressing the same creative language. When students understand that connection, they start to see how design, art, and programming all shape the player’s experience.

🧭 Real Studio Thinking

A big part of my teaching is helping students think like developers, not just learners.

We use task boards, version naming, and production planning — the same systems used in studios. Even if it’s a two-person project, we track everything: assets, shots, builds, versions.

Because when students understand structure, creativity flows better. You can’t build a world if you’re lost in your own folder tree.

💡 The “Why” Behind Every Lesson

Every exercise I teach has a reason.

If we build a maze, it’s to understand player guidance and reward loops. If we script a light switch, it’s about interaction design. If we build a modular level, it’s efficiency and iteration.

By the time students finish a course, they’re not just following tutorials — they’re asking better questions, thinking critically, and creating intentionally.

🐦 Teaching at Game City Kajaani

Teaching at Game City Kajaani is special because it’s hands-on from day one.

My classroom is more like a small studio: students test, fail, fix, and show their work every week. We celebrate working prototypes, not perfect renders. The goal is confidence — the moment they realize, “I can build something that works.”

That moment never gets old.

✨ Why I Teach This Way

Because I’ve been on both sides.

I’ve been the beginner staring at a blank level, unsure where to start. And I’ve been the artist in a production pipeline, solving problems under pressure.

Now I get to bridge those worlds — teaching others how to take an idea, structure it, and bring it to life.

That’s what teaching game development means to me: helping students see that every great game starts with one clear idea — and the courage to build it.

🚀 Final Thoughts

If you’re a student, mentor, or aspiring developer reading this — start small, but start today. The best way to learn is to build something, test it, and ask “why” after every success and failure.

That’s how I teach game development. And it’s how I keep learning it, too.