A group of students had a unique opportunity to see the game creation industry from the inside in mid-January. The students, four seniors and four freshmen, visited Manticore Games, a stealth-mode startup working on a new multiplayer gaming platform that is seeking to disrupt the gaming industry. The gaming industry is a $100 billion-plus industry, larger than TV, movies and music combined, said Michael Acheatel, business and entrepreneurship teacher. “They gave us a tour of their office, created a customized Harker demo of their product, and served a catered lunch with their CEO, CTO, art director and others from the company,” Acheatel added.

“We learned about the state of the gaming industry and got an insider view of the early stages of a game developer startup,” he continued. “They recently raised $15 million from former execs at EA, Xfire and Zynga. We were asked to not share specific information about the product, but the CEO was quoted on their website saying, ‘The Manticore team is working in stealth mode on a new form of hardcore multiplayer gameplay, leveraging user generated content.’” 

It was an eye-opening experience for students. Ishaan Mantripragada, grade 9, noted the company had “the most innovative idea that I’ve seen in a while.”

“It was super fun. We got to meet some great people while learning about the gaming industry and what it takes to make a game,” said classmate Shika Tseitlin.

Senior Cameron Jones noted, “Our trip to Manticore was an unexpected look into the inner workings of a startup company that both revealed how fluid the early stages can be and how a product can motivate so many to invest in it. It’s definitely an experience that I’ll look back on not only for their interesting technologies but also for their entrepreneurial spirit.”