Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Is your child ready to go from playing video games to building them? In this course, your video game player becomes a video game developer using Unity, the engine behind over half of all 2D and 3D games globally. Students get into the world of 3D and VR game creation with the real tools that professional developers use. This is not a watered-down version. It is the real deal.
Want to make awesome 3D games? Looking for the perfect blend of technical skill and creativity? Unity might be for your child, and this is where the video game player becomes a video game developer.
Unity is the powerhouse behind some of your favorite games. Fall Guys, Pokemon Go, and Among Us were all created in the engine. In this course, your child learns the building blocks of how those games are made.
Students break down real games to see how they work, modifying and republishing existing mini-games before moving on to building original games of their own. For those eager to explore it, the course also lays a foundation for coding in C#.
With Unity as their canvas, the potential is boundless. Your child leaves with a whole new appreciation for how games are made, and games they built themselves.
Your child already loves games. This course channels that passion into real development skills using the same professional tools that power the industry. Parents tell us the shift from 'I want to play games' to 'I want to build games' happens fast, and the pride that comes with it is unmistakable.
Learning to code is easier when students are building something they actually want to use. Unity development teaches logic, debugging, and computational thinking through projects your child is genuinely excited about. Those programming fundamentals transfer directly to computer science coursework and beyond.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That unlocks two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Learn real game development using Unity, the professional engine behind over half of all 2D and 3D games worldwide 
Deconstruct existing games to understand how they work, then modify and republish them with original twists 
Build and playtest games with peers who share their passion for gaming and want to become creators, not just players 
Go from playing games to making them, finishing the course with a project they designed and built themselves 
Hey there! I'm Alex! I've been a game developer for 10 years, and I've worked for Meta and Target. I've also developed a few games, including Totally Reliable Delivery Service (A multiplayer physics game about delivery packages poorly) and Ollie-Oop, a 3D platformer about a skateboarding dog named Ollie who goes on the adventure of his dreams! I was also a home school kid all through elementary school up until college. I love all kinds of video games, puzzles, escape rooms, mystery/detective movies, retro gaming, mechanical keyboards, cooking, and I love dogs!
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"My son published his first Unity game and had his cousins playing it over the weekend. Alex turned a kid who only consumed games into one who makes them."
Monica M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"As a homeschooling parent of a 2e kid, I have tried a lot of programs. Alex is the first who kept my son engaged through a hard Unity project without a single meltdown."
Sabrina M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son published his first Unity game and had his cousins playing it over the weekend. Alex turned a kid who only consumed games into one who makes them."
Monica M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"As a homeschooling parent of a 2e kid, I have tried a lot of programs. Alex is the first who kept my son engaged through a hard Unity project without a single meltdown."
Sabrina M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"There is real warmth in Alex's class. My son feels safe, which is when he does his best work."
Tessa M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex remembers the little things about my daughter, and it makes her feel known. That matters more than I can say."
Yolanda M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"There is real warmth in Alex's class. My son feels safe, which is when he does his best work."
Tessa M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex remembers the little things about my daughter, and it makes her feel known. That matters more than I can say."
Yolanda M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son finally found his people in Alex's class. Alex makes sure no kid is on the outside."
Aisha M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex is the kind of mentor I needed as a kid. My daughter is calmer, prouder, and more curious because of Alex."
Dawn M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son finally found his people in Alex's class. Alex makes sure no kid is on the outside."
Aisha M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex is the kind of mentor I needed as a kid. My daughter is calmer, prouder, and more curious because of Alex."
Dawn M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son published his first Unity game and had his cousins playing it over the weekend. Alex turned a kid who only consumed games into one who makes them."
Monica M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"As a homeschooling parent of a 2e kid, I have tried a lot of programs. Alex is the first who kept my son engaged through a hard Unity project without a single meltdown."
Sabrina M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"There is real warmth in Alex's class. My son feels safe, which is when he does his best work."
Tessa M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex remembers the little things about my daughter, and it makes her feel known. That matters more than I can say."
Yolanda M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son finally found his people in Alex's class. Alex makes sure no kid is on the outside."
Aisha M.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Alex is the kind of mentor I needed as a kid. My daughter is calmer, prouder, and more curious because of Alex."
Dawn M.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Most online classes put 20-30 kids in a room with a teacher who reads slides. At YSA, your child joins a group of 8 or fewer students who think like they do, led by a mentor who was often once just like them. Cameras are optional. The content is chosen by passion, not grade level. And 93% of families re-enroll - because kids who have never liked school before fight to log on to YSA.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Unity Video Game Creators meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
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