I myself am not much of a gamer, but the thought of kids using their creativity in conjunction with technology is the perfect learning tool. So it gives me great joy to report that the 2013 National STEM Video Game Challenge is now accepting entries through the end of April. This will be STEM Video Game Challenge’s third year. Businesses sponsoring this event are impressive: Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the Entertainment Software Association, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, E-Line Media, the Hive Digital Media Learning Fund in The New York Community Trust, the AMD Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency that will assist with broadening the reach of the Challenge through the inclusion of museums and libraries as gaming venues outside of schools.
If you know a kid in middle or high school who loves to play video games, encourage them to try and create their own! There are many game-making platforms like Gamestar Mechanic, Microsoft’s Kodu, GameMaker and Scratch that make it simple. Students are even allowed to enter a written design idea. Even if their game does not win the challenge, the experienced gained is priceless. Just creating a game is a wonderful tool to spark imagination and a reward all on its own. Groups can enter as well as individuals.
If your child’s school has a computer lab/classroom, let the teacher know about the challenge, and maybe it could become a class project. Now you have helped the teacher and the student!
The prizes are new laptop computers with design software and a cash prize for the sponsoring organization.
If you do not have a computer at home for your student to work on, Laptop or Computer Rentals can make a creative kid's dreams come to life. Call a Technology Rental Agent Contact today for short-term rental information.
