Students Connect Gaming Skills with Real-World Adventure in Portugal

From medieval castles to the metaverse, this DeSales experience invites students on an unforgettable adventure. The journey starts in the classroom, moves into Fortnite’s creative universe to design a playable island inspired by historic Portugal, and ends with travel abroad to explore those same landmarks in person.

The course, developed by Karen Ruggles, associate professor of computer science, is part of DeSales’ commitment to giving every student the chance to see the world. Portugal was selected for its affordability and rich cultural heritage, making it an ideal location for a short-term academic travel experience. Students gain skills in game design using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) while immersing themselves in history, architecture, and storytelling.

In Fortnite, players can explore three meticulously recreated historic buildings and race to collect scrolls before the opposing team succeeds. The soft launch already attracted more than 600 players. For students, Ruggles says, the real-life journey builds confidence, fuels creativity, and inspires a lifelong passion for exploring new perspectives.

“It was amazing learning how to use 3d assets and worldbuilding, which are some of the skills I wanted to acquire and continue learning about,” says Zedekiah Odallo ’27. My focus in the class was landscaping, which meant populating the general map with plants and shrubbery unique to the area I was assigned. Overall, this course was wonderful, and with the added trip to Portugal, it was lively and enriching.”