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Video Game Camp Unleashes Students’ Creativity
For centuries, kids have loved playing games, from checkers to Monopoly. In today’s society, children are
inundated with computer and video games. This is especially true for sixth grader Henry Jones. However, Henry
is not only busy playing them, but he’s also passionate about creating his own animated video games. With the
help of a lively imagination and Clickteam® Multimedia Fusion® software, Henry has created over a dozen computer
games by the young age of twelve.
Last summer, Henry took a Video Game Creation course at
iD Tech Camps. As a result, what initially began as a passion, soon channeled into a creative hobby as Henry
unleashed his creativity for developing games. During the weeklong course at this technology and video game camp
for kids, Henry created a complex, realistic video game with everything from health meters to collision detection.
He designed graphics and incorporated them into his impressive game, setting behaviors for objects and characters
while creating multiple levels.
"It’s exciting how the games I play are now easy to create," said Henry. "Multimedia
Fusion makes it fun and simple to use with just a click of a button."
Of the many games Henry has developed, his favorite is "Metamorphosis," where the main character
journeys from being a caterpillar to a cocoon and then finally to a butterfly. Of course all this occurs while
saving the world from angry robots. In addition to this intricate game, Henry has also created one with multiple
levels involving a man’s adventure in Florida where he is being chased down by pirates.
"The results are phenomenal and incredibly motivating as Henry sees his imagination comes to life," said Henry’s father,
Steve Jones. "He is always pushing the envelope," said Jones. "And these projects have
permitted him to go as far as possible with his creativity."
This newly developed passion for video game creation has inspired Henry to apply his tech knowledge in school,
including inventing a game for his science fair project. When Henry returned from camp and continued developing
video games fervently, it was no surprise to his father that his son might pursue game design as a possible
profession.
Henry is excited to return to iD Tech Camps where he’ll be expanding his skills with the advanced
3D Game Design course. In this class, Henry will immerse
himself in a 3D world, learning to create fully integrated 3D games from scratch. Using Conitec's state-of-the-art
3D GameStudio™ software, this aspiring game designer will create complex virtual 3D landscapes, work with existing
models and skins, design levels, assign character actions, as well as create lighting and shadow effects.
"It was a stimulating, fun, learning environment that motivated him to keep learning," said
Steve. "As a parent, you can’t ask for much more."
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