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June 29th, 2009 by: Elise
While peers play games, 6th grader creates them in summer camp
By Anna Schuman
Northpointe Intermediate student Gabe Shah is creating a 15-level multi-player Mario computer game in his iD Tech camp.
When Gabe Shah returns to school in August, his friends might tell stories of places they visited in the summer, of sites they’ve seen, of games they’ve played, but few can say they have done what the 11-year-old has.
The soon-to-be sixth grader at Northpointe Intermediate said he wishes he could spend all day every day at iD Tech Camp, held at the University of Houston. In just a few days, he has learned to create, and has completed, his very own 15-level, multiplayer “Mario” computer game.
An avid game player, Shah has had his sights set on becoming a game maker and working for Jagex Games, an independent game publisher and developer based in England. He, like many of his peers, was already familiar with playing games, but now he knows how to make them as well.
Creating games, he said, takes a lot of creativity. He was given few guidelines about the type of game to create, so most of it is straight from his imagination. Not only do he and his fellow campers leave at the end of the week knowing they were able to create something, they get to take their game home with them.
“It’d really be cool if my friends could play my game, and think it’s really cool, then they can ask where I got it and I can say I made it,” he said. “I’m the only one who can say they’ve made their own game.”
Students like Shah, ranging in age from 7 to 18, can participate in iD Tech’s gaming, film and programming camps nationwide. Some students travel across the country to go to the camps, others from across the world.
Anela Wenger, the camp director at U of H, said one of Shah’s fellow campers flew in from Japan for two weeks to participate in the camp in Houston. Wenger said she believes the popularity, though Houston is one of the smaller camps, is due to the program’s reputation.
“Some people might be skeptical to send their kids to a camp where they play video games all day,” she said. “Yeah, they do play games, but here they create the games.”
An educator by profession, Wenger said she is amazed by the focus the campers have when they start their projects. When they are doing other camp activities, indoors and outdoors, and even during lunch, campers ask if they can go back to work on their projects.
There’s more to what the campers learn than just how to program computers, design and create games, she said. They also learn great problem-solving skills through the medium of game creation.
Shah plans to return to the camp each year, taking different classes at different levels, learning everything he can, and hopes to one day be among the college and graduate students who teach the camp classes.
He said people might think of people who love computers as nerdy, but he wants people to remember how Bill Gates got his start, and said he and future campers might be among the next Albert Einsteins and Bill Gates’ of the world. Until then, he plans to spread the word about his favorite camp and the importance of computers to everyone.
“They always say reading, writing and math are what you need to know, but I think everyone should know computers these days,” he said. “Kids don’t have to love computers to come to this camp, but I bet they will when they leave.”
Share the Experience
iD Tech Camps run at the University of Houston through July 24. For more information or to reserve your spot, go to www.internalDrive.com.
June 29th, 2009 | Tags: Summer Camps, Technology summer camp, University of Houston, video game camp, video Game creation
Posted in: Southern Methodist University, Trinity University, University of Houston, University of the Incarnate Word
June 25th, 2009 by: Elise
Summer camp is in full swing and it’s time to look at some more photos! This week’s theme was “Fun Camp Activities – Games, Relays and Sports.” We looked through the many photos on http://www.internaldrive.com/photos and are pleased to announce this week’s photo-of-the-week winners. Thanks for taking the time to take great photos and for painting the picture of what our summer camps for kids and teens are truly like! Enjoy these photos!
Summer Fun at Stanford University Computer Camp
Macalester College Summer Day Camps
Ready to Rumble at Rider University
The Race is on to Santa Clara University Technology Camps
Teen Summer Camp Water Fun at Lake Forest
Ready – Set- Go to UC Davis Summer Camp
Colorado State University Camp Kids
The University of Michigan Creative Campers
Summer Campers Jump Through Hoops at Villanova University
Computer Tech Dance off at Carnegie Mellon University
June 25th, 2009
Posted in: iD Tech Camps
June 25th, 2009 by: Elise
Are you bored playing your favorite video games again and again? Tired of the same old characters exploring the same old levels, getting destroyed at the same spots?
Wouldn’t it be more fun if you could design new interactive levels, create bold new characters and give them a whole new arsenal of mind-blowing weapons and vehicles? You could wage new wars, turn up the battle intensity and create your own unforgettable, unique experiences.
You love playing video games, so why not take a top selling hit and mod it to be your own? iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy for teens offer you the opportunity to learn these fun skills at their summer technology programs.
Unreal Tournament® 3, the world’s premier first-person shooter, ships with the foundation anyone needs to get started making games with the award-winning Unreal® Engine 3 toolset. Unreal Engine 3 provides the platform and tools needed to develop cutting-edge 3D projects. Consequently, it has been used as the backbone for bestselling games like Unreal Tournament 3, Gears of War®, BioShock, Mass Effect, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and many more.
Many video game companies actively recruit aspiring game developers who specialize in “modding” (modification of) existing video games–a colossal trend sweeping the industry.
“We encourage students and aspiring game developers to make mods for Unreal Tournament 3,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “It’s our experience that people who have a strong grasp of the Unreal Engine toolset increase their chances of getting a job in the game industry. Epic has recruited a significant portion of our staff from the mod community, and we are even co-sponsoring the $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest, a mod competition for Unreal Tournament 3.”
This increasing appeal in Unreal Tournament 3, the Unreal Engine and game modding in general has spiked the interest of many teens looking to get in on the action. Recognizing this trend, summer technology programs like iD Tech Camps and iD Gaming Academy have not only incorporated game modding and video game creation courses into their curriculum, but they have also provided a platform allowing their students to work with the best game development software available. As students learn to create and mod levels, they will also gain valuable level-design skills that can be directly leveraged in the growing and lucrative game development industry.
“We make sure that our video game design courses use cutting-edge technology like Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3,” said Pete Ingram-Cauchi, President and CEO of iD Tech Camps and iD Gaming Academy. “Students are given the tools to create levels, characters and scenes that only their wildest imaginations could produce. Where else can you do this? It’s awesome.”
At iD Tech Camps, ages 13-17 attend weeklong summer camps using Unreal Tournament 3 in the Game Modding and 3D Game Design courses. In Game Modding, gamers redesign Unreal Tournament 3, adding their own skins, levels and characters. In 3D Game Design, teens use Unreal Engine 3 to design 3D environments and make 3D game levels with dynamic range and bloom lighting, particle effects, physics and an advanced scripting language. iD Tech Camps provides weeklong, day and overnight technology summer camps for ages 7-17 at over 60 prestigious universities nationwide including Stanford, UCLA and MIT.
Meanwhile at the 2-week iD Gaming Academy, ages 13-18 take a 2-week immersive program of intensive study in the dynamic world of video game creation and game development. Gamers can take Level Design- Unreal Engine 3 where they modify Unreal Tournament 3 with custom maps, storyboards and character treatments. They’ll learn what makes a game addicting and the strategies behind compelling game play as students create their own levels. Other iD Gaming Academy courses include Game Modeling with Maya® and Game Programming with XNATM for the Xbox 360® and PC.
With Epic’s game engine toolset being used at iD Tech Camps and iD Gaming Academy locations across the nation, teens are able to satisfy curiosities while opening new doors that have tremendous impact on their lives and future careers.
“At one time, half the people who worked for us were chosen because of their modding work — level designers, artists, programmers, everything,” said Rein.
So if you are looking to design professional games that both look and feel like the ones you play at home, consider iD Tech Camps (www.internalDrive.com) and iD Gaming Academy (www.iDGamingAcademy.com) game design camp for teens. Whether just for fun and creativity, or to learn a skill that may open doors to creative opportunities in the videogame design field, these summer gaming camps will open new levels of fun and excitement. What starts as a mere hobby can turn into a potentially lucrative career opportunity in the fast growing video game industry.
Written by Ryan Barone
June 25th, 2009 | Tags: Video Game Summer Camp
Posted in: iD Tech Camps
June 18th, 2009 by: Ryan
Summer camp is in full swing and it’s time to look at some more photos! This week’s theme was “Close-ups of kids and technology.” We looked through the many photos on http://www.internaldrive.com/photos and are pleased to announce this week’s photo-of-the-week winners. Thanks for taking the time to take great photos and for painting the picture of what our summer camps for kids and teens are truly like! Enjoy the photos!
Vex® Robotics at College of William & Mary summer camp.
College of William & Mary teen focused in his Web Design and Flash Animation® course.
Happy with his SporeTM creature at our Vanderbilt day and overnight summer camp.
Summer fun camp activities with Apples to Apples at Carnegie Mellon University.
Putting the final touches on his Vex robot at the Villanova summer camp RoboContenders course.
One of the many video game courses at Villanova University.
Taking a break from the computer for outdoor summer camp activities at UC Berkeley.
Coming up with new game ideas at Arizona State University’s summer camp.
At our Washington University summer technology camp, kids are all smiles.
Emory summer camp student in the Adventures in Game Design course with a crazy, fun Spore creature.
June 18th, 2009
Posted in: iD Tech Camps
June 16th, 2009 by: Pete
A parent recently posed this question to me:
Dear Pete, I am looking for a comic design camp for my son this summer, 2009. Can you please direct us to somthing in the Pittsburgh or the Philadelphia area of PA. Thank you for your attention to our inquiry. My son attending ID-Tech camp in summer 2007 and loved this course but it does not appear to be offered as of late. Mom in distress…
We do not specifically offer a comic design camp, but we have introduced a couple new courses that might fit the bill this year. Please check out our Create Your Own Adventures Course as well as our Graphic Arts Course–both are offered at most locations throughout the country, as well as at Carnegie Mellon University and Villanova University which are close to you.
Both courses offer some awesome content using some very relevant and fun platforms.
Hopefully this information helps. We hope to see you out at our summer camp.
Best,
Pete
June 16th, 2009 | Tags: computer camps, game design camps, Summer Camps
Posted in: Uncategorized
June 11th, 2009 by: Ryan
We’re excited to announce that camp has started at Colorado State University, Emory University, University of Miami and Vanderbilt University! During our opening week of camp, hundreds of students nationwide are immersed in creating video games, websites, robots, graphic arts portfolios, programs and more. And with all the fun, they don’t even realize that they’re learning! Yes, designing a video game is programming. Producing a movie means organizing a well thought out, articulated story board.
Students are smiling because they’re having a blast. Parents will be smiling because their students may show an increase in self-confidence and tech knowledge going into the new school year. iD students gain a sense of empowerment, independence and self-confidence as they learn to articulate their creativity through new ways by using technology.
Besides creating lasting positive memories, students leave camp with a completed technology project. Often times they incorporate what they’ve learned into their school projects, thus becoming mentors for their peers. That traditional two-dimensional paper may now be augmented and brought to life with an engaging digital movie or illustrative website with Flash.
Gee, who’s having more fun? From these photos of many smiling faces, it’s hard to tell who’s having a better time! iD hires staff who not only are tech savvy, but also have the iD spirit and make learning fun. They are inspirational role models who take a child’s hobby and show how it can turn into a potential career. With an average of just six students per instructor, students receive hands-on, project-based instruction and are given the attention they need to excel.
Make sure to check back regularly for camp photos and read first-hand from students and parents about their camp experience. You can also check our real-time-availability to see if weeks are still open in your desired area.
June 11th, 2009
Posted in: iD Tech Camps
June 11th, 2009 by: Ryan
Camp has started and that means it’s time to look at some photos! We enjoyed looking at summer camp photos on http://www.internaldrive.com/photos and are pleased to announce this week’s photo-of-the-week winners. It’s great to see all the fun going on at our summer camps around the county. Creativity! Summer Fun! Energy! Excitement! These pictures show the iD Spirit and portray what our camps are all about.
Top Winners:
Emory University summer camp staff getting ready for summer fun.
Kids at our Colorado State summer camp all psyched for lunch in the university cafeteria!
Emory teens focusing on 3D game design.
All smiles at the University of Miami’s summer day camp.
Friends at Vanderbilt take a break from the computer for other summer camp activities.
June 11th, 2009
Posted in: iD Tech Camps
June 5th, 2009 by: Josh
Whew, it has been a while and I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog!
Since my last entry I have been to two staff trainings; Lake Forest College in Chicago and last weekend at Villanova University in the Philadelphia area. We take staff training very seriously and require all new staff attend training and once trainings are complete we will have trained approximately 300 staff and about half of them were in attendance at Villanova last week.
We cover a lot of ground in the several days that staff attend: teaching skills, risk management, our online tools and forums, safety procedures – but the most memorable part of training is teaching people how to have FUN at camp.
June 5th, 2009
Posted in: Uncategorized
June 4th, 2009 by: Ryan
When it comes to training the best staff in the industry, iD Tech Camps has it down to a science. Held at three different university locations across the U.S., we conduct in-person, hands-on training for our staff. And unlike many other summer programs, our training is required because safety is our number one priority.
This year the trainings will take place at Lake Forest College, Villanova University and UC Berkeley. To get into the camp spirit, all instructors and directors stay in campus dorms, just like the students.
Two days of training flies by quickly not only because of all the fun, but the days are jam-packed with information and exercises. Training is run in a seminar-style format to keep our staff on their toes. Topics covered range from Risk Management, hands-on teaching, Medication Administration, Creating Your Camp Culture (where our staff learn about our activities curriculum), to the history of iD Tech Camps. To instill the iD spirited culture, the weekend is filled with lots of ice breaking games. This is a great way for them to meet and become friends, while also getting ideas for what they can do at camp to foster camper-to-camper friendships.
Julie Fletcher, our Camp Operations Manager, explains “our goals are to make sure that all staff are trained on iD Tech Camps’ top priorities: Safety, Teaching and Fun.” After this rigorous and packed weekend, our staff leave the training excited for camp to start. “Most of them complain that camp isn’t starting fast enough and that they can’t wait to meet their kids,” says Julie.
We pride ourselves on hiring the best professionals in the industry to staff our summer computer camps, and are excited for you to meet them this summer!
June 4th, 2009
Posted in: iD Tech Camps
