Faculty and students from Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore are organizing a conference for high schools that offer or are experimenting with game creation or design as part of their curricula. Universities, colleges, trade schools, and professionals will be invited to participate as well. The conference, which is scheduled for April 2008, will include a “versus competition,” according to media arts instructor Joe Granato of Frederick Douglass High School. The competition, the main event of the conference, will highlight games created by high school students who may employ the help of experienced game designers, allowing their true intentions to come to fruition. “Their intention is to have an open source ability to truly develop unique and custom characters,” says Granato. The organizers are currently seeking other local schools to join the event and are rallying support from the professional industry. If successful, the conference could help bring legitimacy and recognition to using game development, game-related projects, and simulation projects in the classroom.