Jessica Ortiz, a graduate of Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), has turned a 48-hour challenge to create a video game into an opportunity to study in Canada. Ortiz developed a simulation game that earned her a 50% scholarship to attend Vancouver Film School (VFS).
Ortiz shared details about her creative process and future plans. She graduated from UVG in 2025 and was invited by one of her professors to participate in the National Game Jam Guatemala, organized by Vancouver Film School. The competition gave participants just 48 hours to design and develop a video game on any topic.
Ortiz chose to create "Mouse Days," a simulation game featuring a cartoon-style mouse as the main character. Time constraints led her to use an asset library for consistent artistic style across objects and settings. The game's story follows a mouse separated from its family by a storm, seeking refuge in a house while avoiding threats like a roaming cat. Players must help the mouse find safety and later secure comfort items such as a bed, with challenges involving navigation and obstacle courses within the house.
Ortiz explained that UVG's hands-on approach helped her strengthen practical skills during her studies. Students in Computer Science and Information Technology at UVG can specialize early in areas like Video Game Development, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, or Data Science.
Her work on "Mouse Days" resulted in VFS offering her financial support for further studies after she completed an online animation course with them. She now plans to move to Canada in January 2028 for a year-long program focused on video game programming at VFS.
Currently, Ortiz is gaining professional experience as a junior developer at a company in Guatemala City, where she works on business applications, automating processes and analyzing data.
She noted that limited opportunities exist for direct work in video games within Guatemala, motivating her pursuit of international options. However, Ortiz emphasized that training at UVG allowed her to develop both entertainment games and gamification tools for education and business purposes.
Her advice for new students is: “Follow your passion; it keeps you motivated. In my case, video games and development competitions push me every day.” She encourages participation in contests as valuable experiences that enhance professional portfolios.
The Computer Science program at UVG offers students access to more than ten annual courses or conferences related to their field of interest.
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