VMASC SUMMER PROGRAM TEACHES GAME DEVELOPMENT

Jared Dorn has always enjoyed playing fantasy video games, such as World of Warcraft, on the computer at home because it offered him the opportunity to be a part of a new world. But the 16-year-old wants to do more than just participate; he wants to be able to build his own gaming world. In order to gain the skills to do that, Dorn is attending game development camps at the Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center this summer.

This is the third year the center has offered the camp, but for the first time, it was divided into three weeklong sessions - digital content design for game development, introduction to game development and intermediate game development - held in June, July and August. The target age for the camps is 12 to 16 years old, and they only need minimal computer experience. Dorn signed up to take all three camps because he said he wants to learn as much as he can before he heads to college next year, where he plans to study computer programming. Camp instructor Yuzhong Shen, an assistant professor with ODU Engineering, said most of the attendees signed up because they like gaming, but the skills they learn can be used in more than just game development.

"The knowledge and skills are not only useful in game development," he said. "They are also used in modeling and simulation."

Shen said VMASC staff hope the camp will inspire some of the children to get into science, technology, engineering and math professions.

"We want to use the topic they are interested in to get them into the (STEM) field," Shen said. Throughout the week, the attendees will create anywhere from three to five 2-D games, and they will do it with very little help.

Shen said he does a short instruction at the beginning of the day, but afterward, he allows everyone to work independently on the day's project because they work at different paces.

The campers will give a presentation on what they have learned and created for their parents and some of the VMASC staff on Friday.

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