Get paid to share your love of gaming!
The Chicago Teen Gamer’s Guild (CTGG) is a group of teens that plans Gamer’s Universe, our free all-ages gaming convention at Harold Washington Library Center. As a CTGG member, you will work with your sub-guild to plan convention programs, develop the look and feel of the convention, host lead-up events, and promote the convention through social media and community networks.
Applications are open from October 19 to November 8.
Each sub-guild has a different focus, schedule and meets at different CPL locations (descriptions below). Please consider this when applying for each sub-guild. You can apply for as many sub-guilds as you would like but can only participate in one.
Check out the Application Journey for more information about requirements and the process.
Program Details:
- Program Dates: January 9-June 10
- Meet weekly with your sub-guild to plan programs for Gamer’s Universe
- Attend monthly Saturday All-Guild meetings at Harold Washington Library Center
- Attend January Experience and C2E2 Field Trips
- Teens will receive an $1,800 stipend for the program
- Stipends will be distributed based on continued completion of assignments and program attendance.
- The program runs during the After School Matters Spring session.
Sub Guilds
Cosplay
Chinatown // 2100 S. Wentworth Ave. // Wednesdays 5pm-7pm
Plan the Gamers Universe cosplay programming track, including the cosplay contest, workshops, demos, meetups, and more. Learn new cosplay techniques to pass on to con-goers with a focus on sustainable and accessible cosplay.
Escape Room Game Design
Chicago Lawn // 6120 S. Kedzie Avenue // Thursdays 5pm-7pm
Jefferson Park // 5363 W. Lawrence Avenue // Thursdays 5pm-7pm
Kelly // 6151 S. Normal Blvd // Tuesdays 5pm-7pm
Legler Regional // 115 S. Pulaski Avenue // Wednesdays 5pm-7pm
Design and lead an original escape room game at Gamer’s Universe. Work with your fellow teens to craft the puzzles, create the scenic design and write an original story to make the best game possible.
Esports
Altgeld // 955 E. 131st Street // Mondays 5pm-7pm
Bezazian // 1226 W. Ainslie Street // Wednesdays 5pm-7pm
West Chicago Avenue // 4856 W. Chicago Avenue // Thursdays 5pm-7pm
Interested in tournament organizing? The esports sub-guild will organize a tournament for the day of Gamer’s Universe as well as hosting lead-up tournaments at library branches and other conventions. Learn about different tournament formats, how to write rulesets and how to make competition fair and fun.
Esports Broadcasting
Obama Presidential Center // 6021 S. Stony Island Avenue // Wednesdays 5pm-7pm
Host livestreams of the Gamer’s Universe tournaments and lead up events, and serve as a host for all the competitive action at the convention. Learn about livestream hardware and software while practicing professional broadcasting skills. This is great opportunity for teens interested in behind the scenes production and on-screen performance.
Experience Design
Dunning // 7455 W. Cornelia Avenue // Wednesdays 5pm-7pm
Little Village // 2311 S. Kedzie Avenue // Thursdays 5pm-7pm
Design an experience for convention attendees at Gamer’s Universe. In the past, this group has planned and led card game tournaments, hosted game shows and trivia and created immersive experiences. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in creating something that can bring the gaming community together in a fun, interactive and unconventional way.
Meta Game Design
Harold Washington Library Center // 400 S. State Street // Wednesdays 4pm-6pm
Design a game that will be played across the entirety of Gamer’s Universe and Harold Washington Library Center. Investigate different play styles, including scavenger hunts, alternate reality games, and more, to create a game that will be played by every Gamer’s Universe attendee.
Production Design
Little Italy // 1336 W. Taylor Street // Wednesdays 5pm-7pm
Curate the aesthetics of Gamer’s Universe. Work with the CPL Graphics Department to develop the visual style and theme of Gamer’s Universe and plan decorations and immersive elements to help set the right vibe at the convention.
Tabletop Game Design
Vodak-East Side // 3710 E. 106th Street // Mondays 5pm-7pm
Woodson Regional // 9525 S. Halsted Street // Tuesdays 5pm-7pm
Create an original tabletop game to be played at Gamer’s Universe. Games should be low-tech/no-tech and can be any genre from board to card to tabletop role playing games.