Between February and May, the 7th edition of the project “Experimenta-te” involved young people aged between 13 and 18 in designing an original game concept, developed in teams across several sessions at Técnico – Taguspark campus, in Oeiras.

As part of the initiative ‘Engenharia para Todos’, the project followed a methodology similar to that used in the Master’s Programme in Computer Science and Engineering, including ideation, prototyping, Unity development, and final testing. The activity also fostered synergies with other areas of “Experimenta-te” project, like Kickboxing and 2D Animation, enriching games with visual storytelling and citizenship themes.

João Vitor, a Computer Science and Engineering undergraduate student and mentor, explains that the young people showed great motivation and interest throughout the sessions. ‘It’s great for us as students to teach and be able to simplify complex concepts for younger learners’, he adds.

For many participants, such as Diogo Batista (7th grade), this was a gateway to programming and game creation. He helped build characters for a multiplayer battle game, and learnt how to use development tools and understand code better. Rodrigo Pires (8th grade) highlighted how different it was to learn with the support of mentors rather than just online. His team developed a game inspired by ‘Street Fighter’, using the C# language, in collaboration with the Kickboxing activity.

The 2025 edition of “Experimenta-te” concluded with a public presentation of the activities on 17 May at Largo 5 de Outubro in Oeiras. Técnico was represented with two exhibition stands, dedicated to Game Design, where students showcased their game prototypes to the public.

Promoted by Oeiras City Council, the main aim of “Experimenta-te” is to encourage young people to explore various artistic and scientific-technological activities. It covers various areas such as Game Design and Development, 2D Animation, Drama, Sewing, Music, Guitar Making, Cooking, Photography and Kickboxing.