ABOUT
GAME WARRIORS
Coding and Digital Art Academy
WHY GAME WARRIORS?
Game Warriors was founded by a veteran game developer with over 25 years experience creating games in a wide variety of genres and platforms from PC and console games to mobile and Facebook games. These games included children’s games, educational games, sports games, real time strategy games, military games, racing games, puzzle games, music games and more.
Another important distinction about Game Warriors is that we offer courses that cover both sides of the brain, analytical and creative. We don’t just teach coding, we teach art and all things creative too!
The Founder
Curtis Ratica
Curtis enjoys spending time with his amazing 12 year old son Jayden. Whether iRacing, 3D Printing, coaching his football team, developing games together or watching movies, they are always looking for something fun and creative to do!
From a young age, Curtis was passionate about creating art and making video games.
After gaining industry experience working with an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, Curtis pursued his own dream, landing his first game industry job as an artist creating games for clients like The Learning Company, Knowledge Adventure, and Nickelodeon.
Curtis then worked for several other game studios, including Atomic and Acclaim, before deciding to branch out and create his own independent games. Over the next 10+ years, Curtis designed, coded, and created art, music, and audio content for numerous games using Director and Unity3D along with a proprietary game engine.
Now, with over 25 years of experience, Curtis aims to teach aspiring game developers the tools and skills they need to realize their own creative visions!
Assistant Manager / Marketing
Rebecca Zatopek
Rebecca cherishes the moments she shares with her two daughters, whether crafting whimsical Elf on the Shelf adventures, engaging in artistic pursuits, or simply conversing by the fireplace about life’s journey.
Ms. Zatopek serves as the Assistant Manager / Marketer for Game Warriors. With a background as a successful entrepreneur and educator, Rebecca brings a wealth of experience and skills to her pivotal role. As a former business owner, she channeled her keen acumen and tireless dedication to help build a thriving family entertainment venue from the ground up. This venture showcased her innate ability to create engaging experiences that captivate and delight patrons of all ages. Equally notable is Ms. Zatopek’s tenure as an educator in the fields of STEM and Special Education at the elementary level. In this capacity, she forged strong bonds with her students, earning their trust and admiration through her empathetic approach, boundless patience, and profound understanding of their unique needs. Her warm demeanor and compassionate spirit shone both within the classroom walls and beyond, leaving an indelible impact on the lives of those who learned under her guidance. As Assistant Manager at Game Warriors, Rebecca seamlessly weaves together her entrepreneurial prowess and educational expertise to craft an unparalleled entertainment experience that engages, educates, and inspires all who walk through the doors.
Lead Code Mentor
Skylor Thoreson
Skylor is a game designer and programmer with 7 years experience using Unity. He is a Mentor through and through with his passion, creativity, vision who is a kind-hearted patient person who works well with children.
SKILL BUILDING
The curriculum at GameWarriors provides students with skills in coding, design, organization, critical thinking, creativity, mathematics, science and additional skills. This provides many benefits to your children…
JOB PREPARATION
It prepares them for the challenges and opportunities of the modern world where engineers, programmers, designers and entrepreneurs are always in demand.
ENTREPRENEUR PREPARATION
They will acquire a wide variety of skills they can’t learn anywhere else. The ability to “wear many hats” is valuable as an entrepreneur.
PROBLEM SOLVING
The ability to solve problems on their own typically results in more confidence, independence and happier children.