Story Forge was a week-long creative experience that ran as part of Wakefield Council’s summer s’cool that brought together 11 young people (aged 13–17) to design, build, and launch a dark adventure video game. Over just five days, participants explored every stage of game development. This intensive, collaborative process working with game developers and artists, gave the young people the chance to learn new digital skills, work as a team, and see their creativity come to life in a playable prototype.

Over the course of the week, participants moved step by step through the journey of making a game. They began by shaping the core narrative, developing characters, themes, and the dark, atmospheric world their adventure would take place in. From there, the focus expanded into sound, with the group experimenting with music and sound effects to build a moody, immersive audio landscape. As the week progressed, they explored programming, 3D modelling, and asset creation, bringing their story to life through visuals and interactive design. Alongside this, participants also created social media content and promotional reels, learning how to present and share their work with a wider audience.