Meet the Winners: James Nguyen

Journey to the majestic “Aisle of Fish” in 14-year-old James Nguyen’s original video game, Ultra Fishing. From colorful character profiles to a strong catch-and-release message, the Portland, Oregon-based designer drew inspiration from his love of fishing and passion for playing video games in conceptualizing the 2D strategy game. James’ attention to detail in developing Ultra Fishing floored the judges of the 2017 National STEM Video Game Challenge, winning him the High School Written Game Design Document title.

While developing his game design document, James’ biggest challenge was learning how to share his interests and ideas in a format that would be appealing and engaging to others. “Never give up,” James encourages other aspiring designers, “I’d held on to the idea for Ultra Fishing since third grade!” When he’s not designing, James also enjoys playing video games, spending time with his family, and listening to music. After high school he plans to study game design in-depth. “I hope to someday become a full-fledged video game creator,” says James.

Excerpt from the Ultra Fishing game design document: