Meet the Winners: Brooklyn Humphrey

Brooklyn Humphrey, 13, was inspired to build her first video game in an engineering class at her middle school. “I was learning how to program robots,” she explains, “plus my dad was trying to learn how to make video games, and I wanted to try too.” The Auburn, Washington resident won the Middle School Unity award in the 2015 National STEM Video Game Challenge thanks to her game Maze Kraze. To advance through the game, players navigate complex mazes, collecting coins hidden along the way.

When she’s not programming, Brooklyn enjoys playing volleyball and basketball, hanging out with her friends, and playing games on her phone. She’s inspired by local athlete Megan Huff, her science teacher David Chernicoff, actor and comedian Steve Harvey, and her dad, Kevin. After high school, she’s interested in becoming an orthodontist.

Brooklyn recommends that new designers set realistic expectations in order to be successful. “Start small,” she suggests, “don’t try and do too much.” From experience, Brooklyn’s learned that if the list of things to complete is too long, it’s difficult to finish. “Concentrate on what’s important to making the game fun, stick to those elements, and be original.”

 

Check out an article on Brooklyn’s win in the news:

• Federal Way Mirror | Federal Way Middle Schooler Wins Prize for Video Game Design