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As appeared in Packet Magazine
June 2007
Technically Speaking
Camps for today’s whiz-kids
By Kristin Boyd
INSTEAD of sleeping past noon or lounging by the pool, 13-year-old James Nitsch has spent his past two summers at iD Tech Camp.
There, he says, trained instructors taught him how to use computer codes like Lego blocks, stacking one on top of another to create cool video games.
His first game featured Knuckles, an animated character that, with just a few button pushes, could punch through walls, jump onto helicopters, dodge meteors and pummel enemies.
“The game wasn’t that great. It had some glitches, but it was still pretty impressive to look at and say I actually made that,” says James, a Princeton resident who dreams of becoming a game designer.
For critics who contend video games and the Internet are a waste of time, iD Tech Camp is proving them wrong. With programs such as 3-D game design and comic creation, the computer camp gives children and teens an opportunity to explore their tech interests, and in some cases, helps them prepare for potential careers.
“We have all types of kids coming to camp — those who are really interested in technology and those who just want to try something new,” says Karen Thurm Safran, iD Tech Camp’s vice president of marketing. “It’s more than sitting in front of the computer. You’re learning while you’re having fun.”
Now in its ninth season, iD Tech Camp is gaining popularity, largely because it fills a niche previously overlooked, Ms. Thurm Safran says. “It’s hands-on learning as opposed to lecturing. Kids learn about video games by creating video games,” she says.
Created as part of a business school thesis by Alexa Ingram- Cauchi, then a student at the University of Washington, iD Tech Camps are now offered nationwide at 50 colleges and universities, including Rider University in Lawrenceville, Seton Hall University in South Orange and Villanova University in Villanova, PA. Princeton University has also previously hosted camps.
Students aged 7 to 17 can enroll in weeklong courses, including digital video production, game modding (slang for modifying hardware or software) and special F/X editing. During their chosen course, students work on projects, such as building robots, creating digital comic books and designing Web sites with Flash animation.
More than 17,500 students will attend iD Tech Camps this summer, Ms. Thurm Safran says. Some students attend only during the day; others stay overnight and sleep in the dormitories.
“It’s really fun. It’s way more than just computer camp,” Ms. Thurm Safran says. “Their self esteem can’t help but blossom because they take these skills and really apply them to their lives. The types of products they use are just phenomenal, and the outcome is outstanding.”
Students, who receive computers to use during the camp, are taught industry-standard programs, including Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash. Students also have access to various Microsoft, Apple, Canon, HP, nVIDIA and Western Digital products.
“Kids come in with some interest in computers and video games, but we’re actually teaching them pretty advanced stuff. They receive college-type instruction in web and design,” says Jon Olshefski, a director and instructor at Princeton University’s iD Tech Camp last summer.
Mr. Olshefski, a Philadelphiabased Web and graphic designer, says the camps are an excellent training ground for the gamers of tomorrow. “We try to encourage kids to do what they want to do,” he says. “We try to bring those two worlds, interest and learning, together. It’s an extra bonus if kids are really interested because they can get really inspired.”
While the courses are structured, instructors, mostly college students and professionals, are flexible. They accommodate students who “just want to play video games all day, and those kids who are really serious and want to pursue this in college,” Mr. Olshefski says.
Each day, the courses are split into three sections: morning, which includes four hours of hands-on instruction and project work; a lunch break; and afternoon, which includes free time.
During free time, students can socialize, continue working on their projects or participate in instructor- led activities, such as karaoke, ultimate Frisbee or gaming competitions.
“Although camp is fun, and you don’t want it to end, after staring at the computer screen for four straight hours, you want to go outside and breathe some fresh air,” says James.
Like many iD Tech Camp students, James became interested in gaming as a child after receiving a Nintendo 64 system for Christmas. “I’ve tried every game since,” he says. “They were kind of an escape from reality. It was kind of like watching a movie, but you’re actually playing.”
Austin Chalk of Pennington has played video games since he was 3. Now 15, he says attending Princeton’s iD Tech Camp last summer has cemented his desire to become a lead designer for Square Enix or Bethesda Softworks, both major gaming companies.
“I thought it was really neat to learn how to make video games,” he says. “iD Tech Camp gave me an insight into what kind of knowledge I need to really make it in this industry.”
This year, Austin will “up” his game. He enrolled in the iD Gaming Academy at Villanova University, a three-week course that immerses teens in video game design and development. “I thought I’d take it one more step so I can learn more,” he says.
Paul Richardson, 18, of Lawrenceville, attended the iD Gaming Academy offered at University of California, Berkeley, last summer. There, he completed creation of a three-part video game, in which a player must stop zombies from overtaking Mercer County.
“It’s definitely worth the money,” he says. “It was great because I definitely didn’t have the tools or the knowledge to create a video game at home, and they taught me all of that.
The academy, Paul adds, also gave him confidence to treat his longtime interest as a lucrative career option rather than a silly pipe dream.
A graduating senior at Lawrence High School, he has since taken computer science courses at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. In the fall, he’ll attend the school full time, majoring in computer science and minoring in video game creation. After two years, he’d like to transfer to U.C. Berkeley.
As for young James, he’s excited about returning to iD Tech Camp for a third summer because as his skills improve, he says, so will Knuckles.
“iD Tech is really great, and it’s so much fun,” he says. “It’s helping me learn about video games, and that’s what I want to do. I want to be a game designer. That’s definitely my passion.”
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