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Campers of Gamebuilder Video Game Creation Camp show off their video game creations.
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Camp Open House Sunday, April 15 • 11am – 1pm
ParkCamps • Explorer and Pioneer Camps for Young Children • Arts and Science Camps • Young Filmmakers’ Workshop • Sports Camp • Beyond Park Day Trips • Leadership Camp • Project Boost
g, Plus swimmin , ng ei no sports, ca , rock climbing and more.
June 18 - August 17 for ages 31/2 to 18 (410) 339-4120 • www.parkcamps.com The Park School 2425 Old Court Road Baltimore, MD 21208
30 iNSIDER/ Camps 2 February 2012
camps to a variety of schools. It was the video game camp that Landon was excited about. “We created two video games,” he says. “We had zero-gravity in one and in the other one, we were on the ground.” First, the kids create an Asteroidstype game with one-screen action, levels of scoring and music. Then they build a Mario Brothers-like game, with characters that walk and jump. “We use Gamemaker programs that take the tedious code out of programming,” Borchelt says. Gamemaker is freeware that can be downloaded from the Internet. This offers a cheap way for the kids to continue to work on their games after the camp ends. During camp, the students work in individual workspaces, on small laptops. “The kids are very into it, and very energetic about learning and playing the games,” Borchelt says. “But it is a wide range of kids. My original expectation is that I’d see kids who are gamers, but I see lots of
different kids.” The one defining characteristic? Creativity. The first two days of the week, students learn how to build the game. On Wednesday, they start programming. At the end of the week, instructors upload their creations to a website, and the kids can download them at home — and keep building their games.
Landon Spitzer was only two years old when he fell in love with computers. “There’s no end to the games,” Borchelt says. “The kids can keep building levels.” In the animation camp, kids download animation software used to create characters. Then they develop two or
three stories during the week. Needless to say, the camps have been a hit. “We don’t put a limit on the number of kids who can be in the camp, but the school has a limited amount of space,” Borchelt says. His team shipped 23 computers to Park last summer for the weeklong camps. But they ended up needing more than 30. Just after Julie Norin stumbled across an announcement for the camp, her son Ben said that he wanted to design video games when he grew up. She signed him up immediately. “He was so excited,” Norin says. “I wouldn’t say he’s big on the computer, but he likes it.” Ben had never done any programming himself, but he does like to play video games. “He really loved the fact that he was doing stuff on his own,” Norin says. Spitzer’s son Landon was also hooked. “He picked up the skills quickly and helped other kids in
the class,” his mother says. “When I picked him up, he was not ready to leave.” The program is not just for boys, of course. Borchelt estimates that about a third of the students were girls. But the age requirement is important. “The kids have to read well,” Borchelt says. “Be patient and wait until they’re eight years old. Don’t send your child because he can surf the net.” The best part is ditching parents’ rules for computer time. “We limit our kids’ screen time at home — usually an hour each day,” says Norin, who also has an 11-year-old son, Jacob. “That was the other side of it. Ben was excited to have access to the computer.” “Parents can see the benefits,” Borchelt says. “It’s more than just playing games. The kids can build the game.” ✧ Laura Laing is a local freelance writer.
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