Within the walls of SHS lies a student who is tackling a major coding project, a project more advanced than what he has ever attempted before.
He programs and he programs, questioning whether his product is fun and manageable, until he reaches one of the final steps in his process: testing.
As his process wraps up, he knows he needs to find someone to help test his end product, so he turns to his usual group of friends and family.
“I’ll have a lot of people play it,” freshman Gabriel Pointer said. “I had my mom play it, and she couldn’t beat a single level, so I’ll have to add difficulties since it’s a little hard.”
Pointer works hard and stays dedicated to his passion, but he isn’t the only one with these aspirations.
In fact, creativity and ingenuity have taken students of SHS by storm in the form of video game creation.
Various students around the school have been practicing their computer science and coding skills in order to put together a creation that they can call their own.
Video games have been a staple in many teenagers’ lives for a long time, impacting aspects like self-expression, media consumption and entertainment preferences, so game creation almost comes natural for those inspired.
“Me and my friend made a copy of a game, like the ‘Fall Guys’ game,” senior Damon Perkins said. “Finding inspiration is the first step, most likely from media and personal preference.”
Some may view this process as an opportunity to practice and learn different principles that they might need in their future career, but others push themselves to learn for the sole purpose of developing their games further.
Hoping to one day have his games published online for others to play, Pointer makes sure that he’s well-equipped with the knowledge on how to create a decent game, going as far as to learn new developing software for his needs.
“I learned Unreal Engine because I wanted to make a Fortnite map on UEFN, but you couldn’t play multiplayer on it,” Pointer said.
Computer science classes do play a role in these students’ success, but as their teacher Mark Snodgrass says, what takes them far is their drive and resourcefulness to find out information that they don’t know.
Taking initiative is one thing, but doing so with little to no help from their teachers is an act of determination.
It’s undeniable that the future of computer science and technology relies on teenagers today, so the passion to practice in and out of class ensures advances in their studies.
“Grades are the equivalent of work ethic, not intelligence,” Mark Snodgrass, computer science teacher said. “The kids who are doing these extra things are the same kids who have good grades because they’re determined to learn new things.”
