Power Up is Spy Hop’s capstone video game design and development program. Students come together to form a team of designers, artists, programmers, and producers to create a full video game that investigates a social, community, or global issue.
Every summer, the community celebrates the video game made by the Power Up program at Pixel Gallery, Spy Hop’s annual video game launch party!
Student Work
Check out last year's video game
DIG! SHOVEL! GO!
Dig! Shovel! Go! is a free arcade style game available on desktop computers. Grab your mouse and keyboard and get ready to dig through the environment and gather as much “happy money” as you can before the time runs out! Enjoy pixel-art storytelling cutscenes between each level.
This game lightheartedly explores the consequences of exploiting the planet for monetary gain. Keep an eye out for fun easter eggs as you play!
Join Power Up
Want to design or develop a video game? Power Up is for you! Every fall, we open applications to young aspiring designers, programmers, and artists to make a video game with a message that makes a positive impact on the world. As a team, you’ll learn about how games are made, representation in games, and the messages they can hold, plus you’ll use industry-standard software (Unity Game Engine) to publish your work for the world to play.
Where do I start?
You don’t need to be a pro designer or programmer to join Power Up! All you need are some foundational design skills. A great way to build those skills and prepare for the Power Up interview is to take some of our foundational design classes (which, as always, are free)!
