Staff Report
Churchill County High School students Keoni Burrow and Santiago Begazo earned Game of the Year honors for their video game, “Ruff Day,” following the school’s annual game development release party and judging competition.
Winners were announced May 26 after results from the May 15 public release party were compiled. During the event, students showcased original video games they created throughout the school year.
“Mr. Mittens Lost His Kittens,” created by Hannah Hanks, earned second place. “Catastrophic Quest for Cake,” developed by Aric McBride, finished third.
The release party, held in the school’s game development lab, gave families, classmates, teachers, and community members an opportunity to test student-created games and provide feedback on gameplay, design, and presentation.
Photo: Hannah Hanks, creator of “Mr. Mittens Lost His Kittens,” earned second place in Churchill County High School’s annual Game of the Year competition. Photo by Lori Kaiser.
The event also served as the public judging portion of the program’s annual Game of the Year competition. Community members, teachers, younger students, and two independent game programmers evaluated projects and offered feedback to student developers. The industry perspective gave students an opportunity to receive professional input on their work.
This year’s winning game, “Ruff Day,” stood out for its polished presentation and original music. Game development instructor Aaron Holt said the project demonstrated the combination of technical and creative skills students develop throughout the program.
Throughout the day, visitors explored student-created games, met development teams, and learned about the game development process. Each team created a display featuring promotional artwork, themed decorations, game cases, and playable demonstrations.
Other featured projects included “Midnight Mayhem,” developed by Dakotah Bowman, Lila Mae Montero, Claire Lewis, Sheryl Garcia, and Jorden Mardis, as well as “The Trench,” “No Man’s Land,” and a virtual reality experience. Photo below: Dakotah Bowman, left, receives prize money from Churchill County High School game development instructor Aaron Holt following the school's annual Game of the Year competition. Bowman was part of the team that developed “Midnight Mayhem,” one of the games featured during the release party. Photo by Lori Kaiser.
Holt said the release party is designed to mirror the experience of launching a commercial game. Students are responsible not only for programming and design, but also for marketing, presentation, and gathering player feedback.
“Watching them take an idea from concept to a finished product is the most rewarding part,” Holt said.
Students learn collaboration, project management, problem-solving, and communication while creating games that are tested by real audiences. The process also exposes them to professional feedback and industry expectations while encouraging creativity and innovation.
Families often share that the program helps students gain confidence, develop new skills, and discover talents and interests they may not have realized they possessed.
Prize money awarded to graduating seniors comes from a recurring community donation. Underclassmen who receive awards reinvest their winnings into future projects and program development.
The announcement of the Game of the Year winners marked the culmination of a year of game development projects for Greenwave Games students.
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