He went from just playing online multiplayer and role-playing games to creating four of his own video games.

Senior Donovan Schneider has also learned valuable lessons  from playing these games.

“You’re learning the skills to master the game, and those skills you can use in real life too,” Schneider said. “So not only is it fun to play, but it also helps people learn real life situations.”

He first got involved with video games when he was fourteen years old. Now he uses the skills he has learned from playing video games to designing his own games.

Schneider has made four of his own games so far. Two of them were game jams, meaning they were made in under seventy-two hours. One of his creations is an online game about a science teacher who has taken over the school, called “A Theoretical Maximum.”

His newest game, “Codename Arrow,” was released on Aug. 14 in the Android app store. “Codename Arrow” is a type of defense game. The player has a tower, and they shoot at geometric figures to gain coins and build a better tower. Schneider has been working on this game for the past month, and says this is the longest time he has worked on a game. Therefore, he hopes it turns out well.

“My main concerns are I am not the greatest drawer, and I am not the greatest at art,” Schneider said. “I really just need to find someone who can substitute me for the art.”

Although the design aspect of game making isn’t his strong suit, he is well versed in the programming. He learned his programming skills from the engineering classes he has taken at SHS. Schneider says that he can program almost anything people desire him to.

Right now, Schneider is not using his skills or games to make a profit, but plans to in the future. He says that by placing an ad system in his games or by charging to download the game, he could make money. Schneider also hopes on turning game designing into a career too.

“I want to do this as a career, because I really enjoy doing this,” Schneider said. “If I could get my games out to a lot of people, I could actually support myself and make it one.”

One of Schneider’s friends, senior Austin McNeil, has played three of his four games. McNeil says that the games are fun to play and have a broad audience. He thinks that Schneider will be successful in his career of game making.

“I think they could spread like wildfire,” McNeil said. “All I have to say is I am really impressed. I never thought anyone could do this.”