This will be the first time Xbox Game Camp will be offered in Arizona.
The gaming industry is expanding into global markets and is expected to reach over $180 billion in 2025. ASU is finding new ways to bring the latest in gaming technology to its students, including a new Bachelor of Science in game design degree within The GAME School.
“We are excited to be working with ASU to bring Xbox Game Camp to students in Phoenix and the Arizona community to share our game development experience with aspiring game creators,” said Peter Zetterberg, Head of Xbox Game Camp at Microsoft. “As leaders in innovation, sustainability and global impact, ASU is the perfect partner to help support aspiring game creators in the region.”
Xbox Game Camp will be available to all ASU students and to those in the broader Phoenix and Arizona communities.
Insights from the panel
In addition to Zetterberg, the panel brought together a variety of ASU gaming leaders and experts to explore how immersive worlds, game-based learning and AI-driven tools can spark creativity, deepen engagement and empower students to take greater agency in their learning.
Speakers on the panel included Dan Munnerley, executive director at ASU’s Next Lab, Auryan Ratliff, director of emerging and learning technologies for EdPlus at ASU, and Elina Ollila, deputy center director and professor of practice for The GAME School at ASU.
The discussion was moderated by Lisa Flesher, chief of Realm 4 initiatives for EdPlus at ASU.
“You learn new things by making games,” Ollila said. “Learning is occurring and you get a little bit more buy-in around having these engagements in education.”
According to Ratliff, AI has expedited the development of video games without detracting from human-driven building, problem-solving and overall learning. With AI introduced into the world of gaming and education, even more opportunities for innovation have opened.
“So this, AI, has enabled us … a more rapid, interactive pipeline for our immersive instructional technology, and the way it works for the designers in the room,” Ratliff said. “And so, with these pretty cool components, as well as pedagogical principles … we can kind of provide this outline for AI to rapidly construct these experiences. They're not building them on their own. It's all in the direction of us, and what we want, but it can be a scaffold of an experience.”
The infusion of AI and video games brings into question the skills and upskilling needed to prepare learners for the labor market. Munnerley noted the various transferable skills that organically crop up in the industry, including 3D design skills derived from ASU’s Dreamscape Learn. And to get ahead of the curve, Munnerley keeps an eye on US labor market data.
“So, this year we looked at the US data,” Munnerley said. “And then valuing universities and education providers against those skills to see which universities are meeting their current needs.”
From building collaborative virtual environments to designing playful learning ecosystems, these industry leaders discussed the limitless possibilities in how gaming, VR and AI are converging to shape the future of learning.
“[AI] is an addition to the craft of making games,” Zetterberg said. “Video games are an art form in many ways. So, when you start talking about AI … It’s not for us to be fast-tracked, to get the game out cheaper, quicker. It’s really a way to put some of the heavy lifting of project planning, documentation – to have that slightly to the side so you can actually put more of your brain capacity … to be even more creative.”