As someone who has always loved playing video games, Evan Sawatsky feels strongly about ensuring anyone who wants to give a game a try has the opportunity to do so.

Through his work in Brock’s Game Design program, he has learned about how to make games more accessible to all — and plans to apply it in the industry.

Sawatsky, who has already landed a job with SHG Studios in Hamilton, will graduate Friday, June 14 with a Bachelor of Arts in Game Design and an Advanced Diploma in Game Development, thanks to a partnership between the University and Niagara College.

The highly accomplished, award-winning Game Design graduate has become known for his passion, collaboration, digital design talent, and expertise in 3D digital art, game design and project management.

At the prestigious 2024 Level Up Showcase, Sawatsky and his team were awarded first place in the Accessibility in Games category for their game Cosmic Justice.

“We wanted to do something unique, so we created a 2D narrative-driven game that could be played by diverse audiences with different levels of abilities,” Sawatsky said.

They created a slower-paced game with a unique art style that allowed for the inclusion of accessibility features that might not be available for a more visually and conceptually complex game.

“Cosmic Justice is an interactive story, so you can’t ‘lose’ the game, and it can be played by both casual and experienced gamers,” Sawatsky said.

The final game was easy to understand, colour-blind accessible and included text-to-speech functions for individuals with visual impairments. They also made the game available to play with a game controller or a mouse and keyboard.

Evan Sawatsky competed at the national Skills Canada competition in Winnipeg, Man., in 2023, bringing home a silver medal for his 3D art.

“Creating games that are accessible to everyone is very important to me. Everyone should have the chance to experience the thrill and joy that can come from playing an exciting video game,” he said.

Cosmic Justice has also been selected to present at the NextGen Showcase, which takes place on Sunday, June 16, during the popular Toronto Games Week.

Sawatsky is well versed in showcasing his game design prowess at industry events. In 2023 he took home the provincial gold medal at Skills Canada and earned him a spot at the national skills competition in Winnipeg, Man., where he received a silver medal for his 3D art.

Aaron Mauro, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Digital Humanities, said Sawatsky’s work represents the best of what the Game Design program has to offer, particularly when it comes to succeeding in collaborative team environments.

“Evan is a creative professional concerned with designing digital experiences that tell meaningful stories for those who engage with them,” he said. “He also understands that collaboration and teamwork are pivotal to creating something as complex and multi-faceted as a game like Cosmic Justice.”

Adding to his accomplishments, Sawatsky was recently honoured with the Distinguished Graduate Award (Game Design) and the Faculty of Humanities Dean’s Medal (Honours).

Sawatsky’s experience in the program, including job placement opportunities at local game studios such as PixelNAUTS and Creative Bytes, has equipped him to take his next steps as a future leader in the game industry.