Game Design as a Gateway: A Conversation with Urban Arts CEO, Philip Courtney

Urban Arts, a national nonprofit, is redefining creative education. By putting game design at the center, they're helping young people build technical skills and creative confidence while also preparing them for fulfilling careers. 

We sat down with CEO Philip Courtney to talk about how Urban Arts found its focus, why game-based learning is so effective, and how its partnership with Endless is helping reach even more students. 

“Game design is the perfect intersection of creativity and technology—two of the most sought-after skills in today’s workforce.”

- Philip Courtney
CEO, Urban Arts

Can you share a bit about the founding vision of Urban Arts? What was the gap you saw and how has the mission evolved over time?

Philip: I’ve been leading Urban Arts for two decades now, but everything changed in 2017. We were doing a lot of different things, but I knew we needed to make a decision about who we wanted to be. Arts education is too often seen as an “add-on”—the first thing cut when budgets are tight. But I had a growing desire to prove to the world that arts education could drive economic mobility.

So we transformed Urban Arts. We centered everything around the powerful idea of using game design as a pathway. It’s the perfect intersection of creativity and technology—two of the most sought-after skills in today’s workforce. And game design, in particular, is the most beautiful expression of that. It’s fun. It’s collaborative. It’s technical. And it’s underutilized as a tool for real learning. No one else was really focusing on game design in the way we envisioned, so we built a model to do it well, and to make it ours.

What are the key programs you run and what populations do you serve?

Philip: We serve Title I students—young people from underserved communities. Though we were founded in NYC, we now operate across 13 states and our work spans three main programs. 

The first is Game Academy. This is a three-year journey for high school students who join us in 9th or 10th grade. They meet after school and during the summer, logging up to 1,000 hours of learning—from foundational 2D and 3D game design to full-on studio development. Along the way, they build technical and soft skills, explore roles like project manager or designer, and receive top-tier college access support. The results speak for themselves: since 2017, our students have earned $46 million in college scholarships and we aim to reach $100 million by 2030.

The second is Creative Coders, which is our middle school program. We use game design to teach computer science fundamentals, especially in places where schools are required to teach it but may not have enough qualified teachers. Our “train the trainer” model equips educators to deliver the content themselves, helping bridge the equity gap in early tech education.

Our third program is called Urban Arts AP CSP. We’re three years into developing our high school AP Computer Science curriculum, which has been endorsed by the College Board. 50% of the coursework is project-based, with students creating their own video games. We provide the curriculum and in-classroom support, while teachers lead the instruction. Our goal here is to make computer science more accessible and more attractive for students who may not have considered it before.

Game design is a big part of your programming. Why games? What makes this medium so impactful for the students you serve?

Philip: Games are fun, yes, but more importantly, they’re relevant and engaging. I’ve always been fascinated by the gamification of things. Companies use game mechanics to drive behavior and motivation—why not apply that power to education? A huge portion of students are disengaged with school. Games help us re-engage them. They’re the universal language of this generation, and they’re the perfect blend of art and technology.

Are there any student projects that stand out to you as examples of how powerful game design can be?

Philip: Definitely. One of our students came to New York from Guinea and created a game called Blind Runner which draws from his experiences as an immigrant in the US. Players face choices about whether to adopt or reject cultural customs while pursuing as many opportunities as they can. It was a powerful exploration of the immigrant experience and he ended up receiving a full ride to NYU and later landed a career at Amazon! 

One student group created a game called Inbody, which takes players on a journey through a sick body, trying to heal it. It had an educational lens but also an emotional component. 

I’ve realized that when we empower students from underrepresented backgrounds to create games, we bring new voices into the industry. The games look different. They feel different. And that’s how change happens.

What has the partnership with Endless helped Urban Arts achieve that might not have been possible otherwise?

Philip: Endless came in at a critical time, providing funds for Creative Coders. That early support helped us build momentum and take the program further, faster. Beyond that, Endless has been a true collaborator in pushing our thinking. We recently learned about the Endless Community Games initiative and are really excited. Learning from each other’s innovations in real time is rare and invaluable. We’ve also begun playtesting Endless products, which opens up new pathways for our students to engage with technology in meaningful ways. 

From your perspective, how does game design help prepare young people not just for careers, but for life?

Philip: Game design is inherently collaborative. Students work in teams, navigate creative differences, meet deadlines, and solve problems. These are the same skills they’ll need in any career—and in life. What’s unique about our model is that we don’t let students silo themselves. A programmer might discover they love storytelling. An artist might fall in love with logic. We call them Digital DaVincis. By making both the art and tech sides non-negotiable, we open students up to possibilities they might never have considered.

What are some of the challenges you face in advocating for this kind of programming, and how do you respond to skeptics (e.g. parents concerned about screen time)?

Philip: We flip the script by empowering kids to be creators, not just consumers. They’re not simply playing games; they’re also learning to build them.

Of course, we still encounter skepticism—whether from parents or from funders and institutions that don’t yet see the arts or games as serious educational tools. My response is always to invite them in. When people see our programs in action, their doubts disappear. Seeing is believing.

Looking ahead, what’s your vision for the future of Urban Arts? What are you dreaming about next?

Philip: In our Game Academy, 12th graders join Capstone Studio, where they work in teams that mirror real-world game studios. It’s college-level work with a fully-realized portfolio piece at the end. I’d love to expand that studio model and offer more pathways so students can explore how game design applies across industries, not just in the gaming world.

That’s the next frontier. Some of our students go into game design, but others don’t. And that’s okay. The skills—creativity, project management, and tech fluency—are highly transferable. I want to show students that what they learn in game design is multidisciplinary and can serve so many different professions. 

We’re seeing AI reshape so many industries and education is no exception. How are you thinking about the role of AI in your programs, and how might it influence the trajectories of the students you serve, both in school and in the workforce?

Philip: Our students and teachers are grappling with the same questions the world is asking: How do we use AI not to replace creativity, but to accelerate learning? 

We’re embedding AI into our curriculum, especially in Urban Arts AP CSP and Creative Coders, in a way where we can make things more efficient but also teach our students the theories behind game design. On the product side, we’re also exploring how AI might help us scale our studio model. Our hope is that AI can help make it easier for the community of people in the art, music, project management, and technology sectors to make games together. A big focus for us is scaling—we want to leverage AI to help us reach as many students as possible. 

If you could provide one message about why investing in creative, tech-driven education is urgent and worth it, what would it be?

Philip: Education should be the most joyful, inspiring thing kids do. Too often, it’s not. We need to change that. When we use creativity and game design to engage with students and meet them where they are, we can give them the tools to become directors of their own journey. This fuels something powerful. Not just for individual students, but for the future of our economy, our communities, and our world.

To learn more, or get involved, visit https://urbanarts.org/.