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Students Build Community and Video Games in a SUNY Canton Club

With growing student interest and emerging opportunities, the new Game Design Club is positioning itself as a creative engine on campus.

Canton, NY (02/23/2026) — What began with a student wanting to push her creativity has grown into one of SUNY Canton's most collaborative, creative and wholesome student-run organizations.

Lucy Battiste, a senior in the Game Design and Development major from Kings Park, said she helped launch the newly formed Game Design Club to build upon the concepts she and other students were learning in class.

"I've always wanted to make fun things and to be a source of fun for other people," she said. "I was learning programming and art, and I really wanted an extra layer. I really wanted to make more games."

Their games are typically debuted at student and community gatherings, including the Children's Holiday Celebration held in December 2025, where the club released its first widely showcased project, "Penguin Game." Inspired by mobile classics like "Subway Surfers," the endlessrunner arcade game lets players guide a penguin down a threelane path while rolling an expanding snowball and dodging obstacles.

The game drew a steady crowd, with some children returning repeatedly to compete for the high score. Users could customize the penguin's appearance by selecting from several hats or a tiara.

"That personalization was huge," said club member Jesse Daniels of Commack, who noted that the concept for the game was suggested by Kyle (Ky) Benvenuti of Rochester. "Sometimes kids didn't even play the game. They just liked making the penguin pink and laughing at it."

Building on the success of Penguin Games' customizable characters, the club has now turned its focus on a new ambitious project called "Physhbowl," developed for the college's recent Comic Con and Carnival of Clubs events. In the game, participants use a computer to build a custom avatar, which is then uploaded to a shared world. The characters then walk, dance, wave, and occasionally bump into one another.

"It's really a proof of concept," said Ryan Bender of Middle Island. "People really love seeing their characters come to life."

Although primarily consisting of Game Design and Development students, the group welcomes students from all majors.

Game Design and development Lecturer Morgan Hastings, who serves as the faculty advisor for the club, said it's become a learning environment that helps students collaborate and problem-solve their own creative projects. "Their creations will serve as portfolio pieces and resume material as they seek employment after college," Hastings said. "I'm proud of their ingenuity and overall inclusive environment."

In addition to Battiste, Daniels, Benvenutti and Bender, club members include Nick Johnson of Cheektowaga and Jenna Szalay of Tonawanda.

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.

Media Attachments

Game Mechanics – A group of four Game Design Club members test their newest game in the SUNY Canton’s Digital Studio. Pictured (l to r) are Kyle (Ky) Benvenuti of Rochester, Ryan Bender of Middle Island, Nick Johnson of Cheektowaga, and Lucy Battiste of Kings Park.

Playing Games – Members of SUNY Canton’s Game Design Club pose with laptops displaying their newest game, “Physhbowl” in the college’s Digital Studio. Pictured (l to r) in the back row are Lucy Battiste of Kings Park, Jesse Daniels of Commack, Jenna Szalay of Tonawanda, and Kyle (Ky) Benvenuti of Rochester. In the front row are Ryan Bender of Middle Island and Nick Johnson of Cheektowaga.

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