They are described as the next generation of video game developers – 150 students from universities and trade schools are taking part in the Ubisoft game lab competition.

They had 10 weeks to create their prototype from scratch and for the 17 teams, it's been an intense two and a half months with lots of sleepless nights.

“The whole first week we all were thinking of the whole game, like how to make it work,”Concordia student Romina Rabti Zolpirani.

Along the way, there some bumps in the road as artists, programmers and developers worked together to create their own video game, realizing just how key communication and teamwork are.

“Make sure that we were all pulling in the same direction to make the game advance was a really good experience,” saidTommy Sagala, a student from Ecole Polytechnique.

For this Concordia and Polytechnique crew, there were life lessons, like having to start over when things didn't work out.

“That part can be a little bit harder for some people because you have to let go of work that you did and start fresh,” said Sagala.

It's the sixth annual Ubisoft game lab competition. This year's theme was the ocean. Teams had to come up with a storyline, design and produce a 3d video game prototype.

Jessica Simard's crew created two cartoonish characters who are supposed to save the day. Their goal was to make people laugh while playing their game, called Koru.

To her though, taking part in this competition was more about proving something to herself.

“That I could work on deadlines, I could work with a team, I could do something funny, have constraints and make something fun in a short amount of time,” she said.

The judges, all Ubisoft employees, are looking for the next generation of homegrown talent.

“I see a generation of developers who are very passionate. They have an opinion, they are making a statement and they have a very broad range of skills. They are people that eat video games for breakfast,” said Julien Laferrière, the president of the jury.

The gaming industry is booming – last year alone, Ubisoft hired 400 people, and 80 per cent of those hires are from Quebec.

“It's growing, it’s changing, because of digitalization, in many ways – technology, online connectivity are all axes that continue to make us grow, but it's a business that is here to stay and it's here to stay with growth,” said Cedric Orvoine, Ubisoft’s vice president of human relations and communications.

That's why competitions like these ones are so important, the company says – they are a way to invest in the future.