The gaming industry keeps growing, but the people teaching the next generation of developers rarely get a dedicated space to connect and share resources. IndieCade Horizons is changing that with the Game Educators Summit 2026, a one-day event focused entirely on sharing and swapping practical, usable materials for teaching game development.
The summit takes place on May 1 in Downtown Los Angeles and is also available online for those who cannot attend in person. The in-person portion is hosted at ASU LA, with free onsite parking and complimentary lunch, coffee, and refreshments provided throughout the day.
Who is invited to the Game Educators Summit
The event is open to all instructors, from high school to graduate school, whether they have a library of teaching materials to share or are just getting started and looking for resources. While the summit is primarily designed for game educators, admission is open to anyone interested in attending.
The accessibility angle is worth noting. Attendance is free for individuals from IndieCade Horizons partner schools, community college and high school educators, IndieCade members, and developers who have submitted a game to IndieCade 2026. For everyone else, the cost is $39, which also covers a year of IndieCade Supporter membership. And if you genuinely cannot afford it, the organizers have made it clear that financial barriers should not prevent participation.
What to expect at the summit
The format revolves around material sharing rather than traditional conference talks. Experienced game development instructors bring materials they are willing to share, and contributors can present anything from a 20-minute in-class exercise to a full degree pathway and everything in between.
All submitted materials are shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC license by default, which means attendees can freely adapt and use them in their own classrooms for non-commercial purposes. That open approach removes one of the biggest friction points in education: instructors spending hundreds of hours building course materials from scratch when colleagues at other schools have already solved the same problems.
The people behind the event
The summit is organized by a team with deep roots in both game development and education. Michael John (MJ) is an organizer for IndieCade Horizons who previously worked as a professional game developer at multiple studios before becoming a game educator at UC Santa Cruz.
Jeremy Gibson Bond has been the IndieCade Chair of Education and Advancement since 2013. He is a Senior Lecturer in Game Design and Development at the University of Canterbury and the author of three editions of Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development. Jesse Schell is a nine-time IndieCade nominee who teaches game design at USC Games, where he leads the MS Game Design and Development track.
Why this event matters for the gaming industry
The gap between what students learn in game development programs and what the industry actually needs has been a recurring conversation for years. Events like the Game Educators Summit address that disconnect by giving educators direct access to proven teaching materials and connecting them with peers who face similar challenges.
IndieCade Horizons also runs monthly conference sessions featuring expert panels, networking with industry professionals, and talks from working alumni, making the summit part of a larger year-round effort rather than an isolated event.
Online registration is already sold out, but in-person spots are still available. If you are a game educator or aspiring one, this is one of the few events specifically built around your needs. You can register through the official IndieCade website.
Are you currently teaching game development, and if so, what is the one resource you wish someone had handed you on day one?
