Our first-ever DigiCamp took place from July 12-16 and we are happy to report that it was a success! This online game development camp was for girls aged 9-13 years old and students got to create an HTML5 game using PixelPAD and Python. It was taught by UTG Academy instructors and their report below details how the week went for everyone.
Have a daughter, niece or sister who's curious about coding? This same camp is taking place next month from August 9-13 and there are still some openings available!
Ages: 9-13
Days: Monday-Friday
Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM PDT
Dates: August 9-13, 2021
Location: Online (Zoom)
Cost: $125
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
DigiCamp Instructor’s Report (July 12-16, 2021)
The camp kicked off on Monday with some icebreaker activities including Scribbl.io, an online Pictionary game. The students and instructors all had a great time getting to know each other, so it was a perfect start to the week! After the initial games and discussions, the students and instructors went into their assigned breakout rooms to begin working on their games. This was a crucial moment in the week when campers brainstormed together to come up with the initial ideas for their game. We had several designs, from space shooters to platformers to I spy projects, and everyone was excited to get started making their games. The campers used PixelPAD.io, UTG Academy’s custom online integrated development environment that runs with Python code perfectly suited to introducing beginners to the world of programming, to build and finish their games.
The first two days of the camp focused on ensuring the campers understood the fundamental concepts of coding, including variables, conditions, differences between the Start and Loop sections in PixelPAD, the Cartesian coordinate system, and basic commands in Python code. While learning these foundations, the students worked on setting up the backdrops and art for their games, as well as some character movement and mouse input. Everyone enjoyed playing the favourite game Scribbl.io together during the breaks and there were many times when a student or instructor pulled a beloved pet into the camera frame to share with the group!
The next two days was where the real work took place. Campers now had the chance to work with their instructors to customize and finish up their games. One group decided to take the theme of “dark/light” literally and created a platformer where the player had to switch between daytime and night-time to reach the end goal, while another created an ‘I Spy’ type of game using mouse input, and a different group focused on making a galactic shooter inspired by retro classics.
On the final day, students added some finishing touches to their games such as extra levels and enemies, custom art made in Piskel, text to give the player instructions on how to play their game, and some projectiles or power-ups. Everyone then congregated in the main room to have some final ‘share-your-game’ sessions where we had lots of fun playing each other’s creations and celebrating our achievements!
Final Projects (Students)
Frances: https://pixelpad.io/app/letkrtbzpea/
Avery: https://pixelpad.io/app/nlhpoiwkucr/
Alexis: https://pixelpad.io/app/agpobqxnxsg/
Chahal: https://pixelpad.io/app/vozglfsxxny/
Sarah C: https://pixelpad.io/app/otrkofzismv/
Linda: https://pixelpad.io/app/ybcmvrkvzim/
Sophie: https://pixelpad.io/app/nluxlhxotry/
Final Projects (Instructors)
Mia Gieselmann: https://pixelpad.io/app/txyhktbayuy/
Lydia Assion-Nielsen: https://pixelpad.io/app/uqafntpsphf/
