Tag Archives: video games

Almost every child in the United States plays video games—91% of children ages 2-17, according to NPD. But how many kids make their own video games? I could not find any reliable statistics. Nowadays, one barely needs to write a line of code in order to build a video game because there are so many platforms that make the process simple. Gamestar Mechanic, Unity, GameMaker, and Scratch are probably the most popular. Each one involves a different amount of complexity…

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…

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…

Back in January, I joined the Joan Ganz Cooney Center as a Senior Fellow. It is a perfect fit. I’ve been a fan of the Center’s work for a while, writing regularly about its research reports for my Forbes Blog. Many of the folks at the center have also been fans of my work—in particular, the Mindshift Guide to Digital Games and Learning that I created in partnership with the Cooney Center back in 2013-14. I wrote that guide to…

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…

Are you the parent or guardian of a child between 4 and 13 years of age?  Does your child play video games?  If so, you are eligible to take a survey about digital games and family life by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.  Parents who complete the survey will have a chance to win one of two $25 gift cards to Amazon.com. In 2014, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center launched a study to learn about digital game…

A long-distance runner, 13-year-old Lance Dugars knows how to go the distance. This very drive to cross the finish line helped him create The Brink Walker, the winning Middle School Gamestar Mechanic entry in the National STEM Video Game Challenge. Lance, from Katy, TX is an avid Gamestar Mechanic user who has been interested in video games “for as long as I can remember.” When he started creating his own games, Lance started experimenting with tools that would let him…