The Woods Academy in Bethesda, Maryland, is taking a different approach to learning by teaching students how to code their own video games.
"It's a great way for kids to practice problem solving, algorithmic thinking, and to really get into a medium that they can be creative and also use some math skills as well," said Eric Smith, a teacher at The Woods Academy.
Students learn how to personalize their own video games, choosing to include clues or fun features.
“Better than Xbox, PlayStation, 'Fortnite,' 'Call of Duty;' it’s better than all those games,” a coding student said.
Each student team also created its own marketing material advertising its video games.
"That is our company logo. We created our own commercial for our game so we can get more people to play it," a student said.
Students learn elements of coding as early as kindergarten, and by the time they reach middle school, they have enough knowledge to develop their own video games.
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"And next year they'll be flying drones in here and building smart hydroponic systems with electronics. Then we'll go on to going into cryptography and coding that as well. And it just kind of builds throughout the years," Smith said.
"I like building new games, and it just lets my creativity blossom," another student said.
Smith hopes classes like his will help build the next generation of tech visionaries.
"Coding is everywhere," Smith said. "So, there are a lot of software developers jobs, and if a kid's really into that, that can lead into those type of jobs."
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