Portage Collegiate Institute's computer sciences students are able to enter new dimensions, with a new grant of software licenses. The school recently received 50 free licenses from Unity, a cross-platform game engine that allows students to not only create two and three dimensional games, but also publish their work to multiple platforms such as computers, mobile devices, and even some gaming platforms. Computer Science Department Head David Nutbean says it's a high-end program that's used by professionals for game development, and the cost of the licenses would have been upwards of $7,500.

"I like to give students the best tools we can get. We have Adobe Creative Cloud, Visual Studio, Construct 2, Flash Environment. I try and give them the best tools, and the industry standard tools to use in the course, so if they want to pursue this iN post-secondary, they can do so."

Harrison Greenslade and David Nutbean work through coding in Unity

Nutbean says this software does more than just has students creating and playing games, it provides valuable experience in an industry that's seen extensive growth and demand in recent years.

"Computers are in everything, and pretty much every industry, so every kid should take a computer course. Computer science is taking off in terms of demand, and what I'm trying to do with this program is fill this demand so the kids have lots of options. Gaming is a good way to approach that because kids like to play games, and if they can make games, well that's more motivating for them."

Up until the installation of the software, students were only able to create two dimensional games. The ability to starting working in 3D is one aspect that's exciting to students Phil Clobes.

"It's really amazing. I really like the programming part of it, the C#, it's really good. The major part is the 3D environment."

Tripp Wilde's another students in the class, and he's grateful to be using professional level software. He plans to pursue a career in game development, and feels having this technology at an early stage could pay dividends later on.

"It's a 3D environment compared to flash, which is 2D. It gives you a lot more ways to go with your game. Also, C# is a new language, so it's fun to learn. It's a good start for university, that's for sure. A lot of people don't go into university with this kind of experience, so it will really give me an advantage."

The software licenses expire after one year, but Nutbean says they're able to reapply once the current software expires.