Today’s video games are more immersive and spectacular than yesterday’s gamers could have ever imagined. Where once the very idea of having a video game in a home was thrilling, today’s games combine art with play on a scale that truly needs to be experienced to be understood.
But what if your child wants to go even further and design their own video game? Online sessions make this easier to do than you may think, so read on to learn more about how it works.
Even Young Kids Can Code
Nearly everybody today uses a computer or other electronic device, but not every adult grew up with this technology. As a result, things like video games may seem to such a person like something not just incredible but alien or too complicated to be understood. Nothing could be further from the truth!
In the online classes at RP4K children as young as seven can build their own video game using real programming languages that professionals rely on every day, like Python, Java, C#, C++, and more. The sessions are designed to be fun, so kids don’t even realize that they’re learning real mathematical concepts.
It’s a good idea to sit in with your child during their first session, as they may need assistance with the technology depending on their age and experience. Observing the class will also help you understand what your child is about to undergo.
Pressure-Free Learning
The best coding classes are taught by undergrads in Computer Engineering or Computer science, as they’re young enough to relate to students and grew up playing video games. The emphasis is always on having an enjoyable experience, which is easier when there are fewer students per session.
Industry leaders have a maximum of four students per teacher, and that’s a ratio you should look for in the market. It can be very tricky to teach young students a new subject when there are so many people in a classroom, even if the class is online.
Keeping classrooms small helps to keep teaching effective while ensuring it’s fun and pressure-free.
Real Math
Kids are unlikely to respond “math” if you ask them what fun activities they do in their spare time, but learning to code video games requires absorbing fundamental mathematical concepts such as integers, 3D vectors, and even trigonometry.
If parents quietly put cauliflower in mashed potatoes to give their children some hidden vegetables they won’t detect, kids can learn math when learning to code without even noticing they’re learning.
The idea is to keep kids in the world of “video games” so that they’re having fun when playing and creating them.
Video games have evolved quickly over the years, and who how today’s youth will innovate them when they grow up. Games have gone from something you put quarters inside to being worth billions of dollars a year — if your child currently enjoys playing video games, they may enjoy learning to code them even more.