Category Archives: STEM Challenge

We are excited to launch the 2016 National STEM Video Game Challenge, a competition that transforms student passions for game play into a pathway towards gaining core STEM problem solving skills… all while designing their own video games! Students are invited to create playable games on any platform or to create game design documents outlining their video game idea. At the STEM Challenge, we believe that the process of designing and making games itself creates a wonderful opportunity for STEM…

From gravity-defying platform games to science puzzles loaded with informative trivia, the 2015 winners of the National STEM Video Game Challenge never cease to amaze. Learn more about each of the winners and their game designs by exploring their profiles below. Middle School Winners Matthew Bellavia | Gravity Galaxy Lance Dugars | The Brink Walker Brooklyn Humphrey | Maze Kraze Ethan Pang | Science Survivor Cole Nutgeren | Pyromania John Ripple and John Korhel | The Cube’s Journey Sanja Kirova…

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…

When Thariq Ridha, 14, learned about the National STEM Video Game Challenge from his parents, he was quick to confer with his friend Umair Zaidi, 16, about developing a game for the competition. Together, the Beaverton, Oregon-based duo developed B.L.O.B. (short for Big Lump of Blobs), a video game that won them the 2015 Team High School Open Platform award. B.L.O.B. players navigate the game as an ever-growing blob character—avoiding spikes, altering gravity, and completing each level by reaching a…

Having grown up as a gamer, Gabriel Rocero, 17, jumped at the chance to enroll in the video game program at his high school. “I’d always dreamed of making my own,” explains the Temple, Texas resident. When a teacher informed him about the 2015 National STEM Video Game Challenge, he decided to submit his game In Search of Purpose, a school assignment that quickly evolved into a personal passion. Gabriel’s game, which features a robot on a mission to discover…

When 15-year-old Thomas Cannon began to feel limited by the customization options available while playing his favorite video games, his solution was simple: He would learn to program and build his own characters and stories. The San Jose, California-based student first heard about the National STEM Video Game Challenge when he was in fifth grade, and created a gamed called Dr. Duckenheimer for the competition. When he didn’t win with his first submission, Thomas continued to hone his skills and…

Back in 2009, an interest in animation led Litchfield, Ohio native Zack Harmon, 17, to start experimenting with interactive design in GameMaker. Over six years later, his passion for programming has evolved into a self-proclaimed addiction—and resulted in an award-winning video game. Zack’s game, Gongbat, features an ancient creature that battles evil by harnessing the power of sound, and took home the High School Gamemaker award in the 2015 National STEM Video Game Challenge. “The entire game was created over…

At 13 years old, Ethan Pang’s path to programming was surprisingly simple—he enjoyed playing video games, became interested in writing code, and decided to combine the two by creating a game of his own. After watching a handful of videos made by a programming professor on YouTube, Ethan began developing his own games. When his mom suggested entering the 2015 National STEM Video Game Challenge, Ethan used GameSalad to program a side-scrolling puzzle game called Science Survivor, which won him…

John Ripple, 14, and John Korhel, 14, share a common love of math and video games. Building on their mutual interests, the Parker, Colorado-based friends produced The Cube’s Journey, a platform game that follows an artificially intelligent cube’s journey to freedom—battling enemies, avoiding traps, and collecting gold bars along the way. Together, they won the Team Middle School Open Platform award in the 2015 National STEM Video Game Challenge. John Ripple’s initial inspiration for learning to program came from seeing…

For 16-year-old Lexi Schneider of Dresher, Pennsylvania, the term STEM is missing something important—the letter “A”. An avid artist, her interest in video game design stems from her passion for creativity. Incorporating her love of both biology and graphic design, Lexi won the High School Game Design Document award in the 2015 National STEM Video Game Challenge for her original game, Body Builders. “For me it was more of a STEAM challenge,” she explains. “Creating my own game allowed me…