Meet the Winners: Sam Raymond

Explore an alien world and solve the mystery of your missing crewmates in The Trappist Incident, an original side scrolling shooter game created by 14-year-old Sam Raymond of Midlothian, Virginia. Inspired by his love of Star Wars and Star Trek, Sam’s engaging storyline and exciting gameplay won him the Middle School Unity category of the 2017 National STEM Video Game Challenge.

“Once I realized that coding and designing games wasn’t some form of magic, I thought it would be cool to learn the process as a way to release my imagination,” says Sam. “Game design has taught me that going outside of my comfort zone can result in lots of fun and new experiences.” He encourages other aspiring developers to be patient with themselves, and to think creatively about overcoming inevitable obstacles. When he’s not designing, Sam enjoys playing video games, spending time with friends, folding origami, playing his ocarina (an ancient wind instrument, similar to a flute), and taking care of his dogs. After high school, he hopes to study medical sciences or become a programmer.