Professional
Game Development Bootcamp
‍for teenagers (16-19 yo) in Cyprus

Name: GameDev Lab Bootcamp for Teenagers
Start: 2026-07-06T09:00:00
End: 2026-07-10T15:00:00
Location: Cyprus University of Technology

More details

The FIRST

A real studio simulation — from idea to a shipped game

Location:

Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol

Dates:

6–10 July 2026

Time:

9:00–15:00

Group size:

12–15 students

Price:

€350

Limited Places

To preserve a real studio environment and high-quality mentorship, the programme is intentionally limited to 12–15 students only.

Organiser

KidIT Cyprus

In Partnership With

About the Bootcamp

There's a different way to learn. We don't run workshops. We run bootcamps that MIT, Stanford, Imperial College London, and TU Munich have stood behind.
‍
Bootcamps — intensive, project-based, expert-led — are redefining how real learning happens. Not a semester of lectures. Not passive theory. A focused sprint where students work as professionals, deliver under real deadlines, and leave with something built.
‍
We've proven this format works. In the past year alone, we delivered two bootcamps in Cyprus — MIT MISTI Global Teaching Labs and JASS 2026 — and every student who walked out had something real to show for it.
Now we're bringing that same model to game development.

This is not a traditional coding camp or a “learn one engine” course. The GameDev Bootcamp is Cyprus’s first professional-level game development programme for teenagers — designed to simulate how real game studios actually work.

Over five intensive days, students form teams, choose their platform, assign professional studio roles, and build a playable game under real production deadlines.

Every team goes through the full pipeline:
‍

GDD

Prototype

Production

Integration

Publish

Demo

And by the end of the week:
Every team ships a real, playable game.

What Makes This Bootcamp Different

Most game development programmes:

Teach software only

Focus on tutorials

Have students working individually

Never finish projects

Do not reflect real studio workflow

This bootcamp is different

Students:

1

Work in structured teams

2

Take on real production roles

3

Build under deadlines

4

Experience parallel production

5

Publish a real result

6

Present publicly at Demo Day

«The pipeline is the lesson. The tool is the material»

Why This Matters

Especially Now

For teenagers seriously interested in game development, the next few summers are critical. Not for casually experimenting.

But for:

Building a strong portfolio

Understanding the industry early

Exploring future university pathways

Learning teamwork and production discipline

Testing whether game development is a real future direction

Universities and studios increasingly look for:

Real projects

Shipped work

Teamwork experience

Initiative and portfolio quality

—not just certificates.

This bootcamp is designed to give teenagers that first serious industry-level experience.

Real Studio Roles

Every team works with professional production roles:

Game designer

Programmer

Artist / World Builder

Producer

Daily Structure

Each day follows a professional production rhythm.

Morning

Industry lectures

Role-based workshops

Standups and planning

Production sprint

Integration and testing

Cross-team feedback

Playtesting and iteration

Afternoon

Demo Day — Friday, 10 July 2026

The bootcamp ends with a public showcase at Cyprus University of Technology.

Lead Mentors

AI Production Lead

AAA Game Industry Veteran

Max Fomichev

Max has more than 20 years of experience across multiple areas of game development — from journalism to leading AAA PC and console RPG production teams.Today, he leads development at Holyday Games studio, integrating AI tools into modern game production pipelines and bringing real-world industry practices directly into the bootcamp.

AI Veteran

JASS Founder

MIT MISTI Mentor

Kirill Krinkin

Kirill is an AI veteran with years of experience building educational systems inside JetBrains and mentoring MIT MISTI programmes across multiple countries.He is the founder of JASS — Joint Advanced Student School — an international project-based programme focused on real production environments, teamwork, engineering thinking, and hands-on project delivery.

General Manager, CYGMA

Andrey Ivashentsev

With a background spanning Microsoft (Games in CIS & CEE, AR/VR), C-level leadership at Game Insight, and diverse entrepreneurship experience, Andrei brings a deep, hands-on understanding of how the global games industry is built and scaled. As a Co-Founder of GDCy, he helps shape the strategic direction of the Cyprus games industry and connects it to the wider international market.

Art Director at Holyday Studios

Senior 2D & Concept Artist

Dmitry Khuzin

Dmitry is a game industry art veteran with over 15 years of experience in visual development, concept art, and art direction. He specializes in creating visual identities for new game IPs, building efficient art pipelines, and leading cross-functional teams across mobile, RPG, survival, and midcore projects.

Combining strong artistic vision with deep production expertise, Dmitry helps teams create cohesive game worlds while balancing creative goals, technical constraints, and production realities. He is also actively integrating AI tools into modern game art workflows to enhance team efficiency and creativity.

Head of Space Trace

Yaroslav Kravtsov

Yaroslav Kravtsov is a game developer, producer, and educator with over 19 years of experience in the video game industry. He has worked on projects including Allods Online, Skyforge, Armored Warfare, and Message Quest, and has collaborated with companies such as Mail.Ru Group and G5 Entertainment. As the founder of Space Trace, he has led the creation of dozens of commercial Roblox experiences for brands, educational organizations, and independent clients.

Art Director at Holyday Studios

Senior 2D & Concept Artist

Svetlana Voronina

Svetlana Voronina has over 15 years of experience in marketing, PR, and community management. She has worked at Kool Things, a leading Eastern European gaming PR agency, the global gaming marketplace G2A, and game developer Owlcat Games. She has developed and implemented launch and promotion strategies for international brands and games, including new Razer products, Warframe by Digital Extremes, Devolver Digital projects, and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.