“I have been doing Kodu Game Lab for about a year and I think [the Game-Making Competition Club] is an awesome opportunity to show off my skills!” said a middle school participant from Ontario, Canada.

STEM For Kids’ Game-Making Competition Clubs allow kids to learn the foundations of video game design and create their own multi-level video games. One of the biggest worries for parents regarding children’s screen usage is uncontrolled game play. The club is encouraging children to take what they already love and apply it to learning new skills, to not only play but also make their own computer games!

Every video game follows a basic story line which has five parts: setting, plot, characters, interactive objects and goal. Just like an interesting movie or a book, these five parts together give the story a purpose. Video games allow users to experience and control that story. Many parents are surprised to learn that video game making is a great way to STEAM – add art, design and creativity to STEM!

The club works well with children who already have an interest in STEM. More importantly, children who have more of an artistic and creative bent also enjoy this learning experience. The super-charged experience has a way of providing immediate gratification as the participants see the effect of their programmatic changes and their creativity in their own gaming worlds. The computer programming is done using a simple drag-and-drop interface that is intuitive for children as they begin to learn how to code.