Computer Coding & Game Design

Our computer summer game design camp combines ideation, digital design, script, and coding. Students will be learning ideation, digital design, and coding that will contribute to crafting their own experiences and their knowledge of computer programming that they can take beyond this camp.

CSS_ComputerProgramming1

Students will be learning the skills developers use to build popular websites and apps they use. They will gain the tools to express their ideas creatively and effectively. All courses are project-based and cover an abundance of material. Students design their own projects and execute them with as much guidance and individual attention is needed.

This year, students in our computer game design summer campwill be re-wiring their brains and learning to think in a new way. They will start brainstorming project ideas on Day 1 of the camp. The students will begin by learning backwards: how to create common games such as Flappy Bird and Super Mario Bros. (platform games) by breaking it down, piece by piece. This will allow the students to learn the basics of programming and also learn what it takes to make the games they play; in turn, showing them that they can do the same! After, we will be holding a series of workshops each day with time for the students to experiment. They will begin prototyping as soon as they find a medium that they see fit for their project. Each workshop will give them a taste of the computer science field. By giving them the freedom to choose their own projects, they will be learning at their own pace and learning how to utilize resources online/offline in order to self-teach and be an independent student.

In short, students will be in charge of their own experiences and their knowledge of computer programming that they can take beyond this camp.

Projects in our computer game design summer camp vary by week and cater to the students' preferences, but they cover a wide range of possibilities from learning to use HTML & CSS to building web applications and game design. Game design focuses on all levels of game creation such as story progression, character development, game play, etc. Some students attend just one session; others attend every single session.  Students who come back for multiple sessions continue learning, and working on their projects, without repetition.

State-of-the-Art Mac Lab

Students have access to programming techniques such as Actionscript 2.0 and Photoshop in a
beautiful state of the art Mac lab. This lab, which offers students their own machine, is fantastic.

If you like computers and are interested in computer game design summer camp, then this course is a must.

Core Concepts Taught Each Session

HTML/CSS

This is an introduction to HTML/CSS for students with little or no experience
in programming.  Students are taught in a well-paced, hands-on environment and quickly develop familiarity and comfort with HTML, which they can use to develop their own websites.

Python/Web2Py

Students learn about object oriented programming and implement HTML/CSS to produce video games and web apps. With a combination of learning about databases, graphics, and animation along with programming techniques, students develop the tools to create projects of their choice. These projects can range from learning how to make websites to simple computer video game.

Game Design

This computer game design summer camp covers the basics of game design, beginning with a brief history of video games and techniques that are still used today. We touch on the many areas involved in game design, such as story progression, character development, events and sequence, game play and game balancing and level progression. Students experiment with these elements through programming suing Actionscript 2.0 as well as Photoshop to create graphics for their Flash-based games.

Our events and activities round out a fantastic day at Summer Scholars!

"My favorite thing our class did this week was creating our own unique video game."
– Anonymous 2015 Computer Programming Student