Camp lets students get into the game

Students taking part in a Velocity Jr. camp are gamers in every sense of the word.

The weeklong camp has taken students behind the scenes of their favorite games by showing them how to create and code their own version.

Teacher John Ravetta said the students are using a software package called Kodu to create games from scratch.

“I am hoping that they get to see the intricacies of making a video game,” he said.

On the last day of the five-day Velocity Jr. program, students traded laptops to play each other’s games.

Students said they are enjoying creating their own unique version of their favorite racing games or those that require characters to go through obstacle courses to reach their goals.

“I like learning how the coding works,” said camp member Patrick Hardy. “It gives you a good idea of how much works goes into creating the game.”

The video game camp is one of more than 30 activities taking place at the Velocity Jr. Center, housed at Rose Kidd Elementary.

Velocity Jr. is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) partnership between UCS and the city of Sterling Heights designed to create and sustain a workforce capable of filling current and future high-tech job opportunities that will help Michigan’s economy grow.

For a listing of classes, please visit this link: http://www.uticak12.org/districtinfo/news/gamedesign.asp