I don’t want to sell you the idea of iD Tech Camp on the iD Tech Camp blog – that’s kind of silly. You’re already here. There’s already something that appeals about this organization – or maybe you just enjoy the color scheme and subject matter of the blog. Maybe you’re a huge fan of my rants… Unlikely, I know.

I don’t want to sell you the idea of iD Tech Camp because I’d rather teach you about where the world of technology is today and where it will be tomorrow. I want you to think about the skills that are necessary for 21st century learners and workers based on the new world of connectivity and digital interactivity that is opening around us. When I was growing up, there were few computers. People with the right kind of eyes could see that the personal computer would soon invade every home. It wasn’t until my early teens that those same innovators saw the early Internet as something of value, something that would change our culture forever.

At the same time, game design was left to the experts – a brilliant few that had both coding and artistic chops, as well as thousands of hours and tons of patience. Luckily, we’ve moved beyond that – way beyond that.

Angry Birds has been downloaded 400 million times and has subsequently spiraled into a billion dollar piece of intellectual property. Billion. With a “B.” Does that seem like an impossible feat for a company with 12 people? But that’s a company – what about the indie developers; the kids?

Minecraft, a PC sandbox creation game, was originally created by a single programmer and now has 15.2 million registered users, almost 4 million of those folks actually paid for the game!

How can this be?

There are more gaming platforms now than ever before. According to VGChartz, over 400 million current generation gaming consoles have been sold on the planet. Additionally, almost 130 million iPhones have been sold and about 50 million iPads by the end of 2011. Android, the main competitor for iOS devices, currently has over 190 million devices in use. This, of course, does not count the countless number of personal computers and laptops, also tremendously capable of gaming. Impressive numbers, right?

The problem with so many devices is that they all need interesting software. A screen is nothing without something interesting to show! Over the years, various screen creators have made different development engines. These starts as very basic SDK’s, or “Software Development Kits.” These kits were incredibly expensive and hard to use. Not only that, but hardware manufacturers only gave the kits to reputable companies, meaning that only a few developers even got a chance to create something great.

Software development has left the hands of the super techies. Now, just about anyone can create an app for the iPhone or an Android device or even a game for the PC or XBox. The point is control – if you imagine it, you should be able to build it. The tools are out there and anything is possible.

So what exactly is the point?

When you read a book to a kid, at some point you want them to realize that they too can craft their own story. When you show a kid some art, at some point you want them to know that they too can paint their own picture. Our world is turning to interactive media – and it’s a user-created universe. It’s time to realize that when you use a piece of software, whether it’s a game, an application, a website, or a cool artsy interactive, at some point you too can create your own vision and make your interactive dreams a reality. It’s not about making money, although that’s can be a welcome side affect. It’s about claiming creative rights and becoming a 21st century contributor.

By Shantal Parris Riley

Young minds probed deep into the world of computers Thursday at the iD Tech Camp at Vassar College. Scores of kids, ages 7-17, sat in front of computer screens, designing from scratch games, iPod and iPhone applications, and other programs. They were participants at the iD Tech Camp’s computer science summer camp, which is in its 10th year at the college. “I’m making an application that converts English into binary code,” said camper Benjamin Handel of Brooklyn. The 12-year-old held an iPad showing a blank window with a virtual keyboard underneath it. “Say you type this,” he said, keying in “My name is Ben.” He tapped a large virtual button labeled “convert to binary,” and a series of about 50 ones and zeros suddenly appeared in the window.

Click here to read full article about our summer camps in New York

A favorite Tech-Reation activity is outdoor soccer.

An intense game of Capture-the-Flag at our teen Massachusetts summer camps.

Capturing the shot in our photography courses held at MIT.

Students reflect on what they’ve learned at our DC summer camps.

Too cool for school. But not for video game design courses.

A gorgeous day for outdoor summer fun.

Getting ready for off-computer time with some fun board games.

Letting off some steam at our Austin summer camps.

Massachusetts teens get up close and personal with computers.

See you next time!

Students ages 10-15 will work in small classes to design the perfect track, create the sleekest car and challenge their classmates with new racing scenarios. Students can select options from a deep single-player mode to endless multiplayer challenges, and the software allows players to race a track as many times as they want. TrackMania United is also popular because players can choose to respawn at checkpoints or restart the race at any time. This flexibility makes the game optimal for students to continuously experiment and to tweak their games using their new design skills. Once students have created their perfect track, they can push it online where their friends or even the millions of TrackMania players around the world can race on it.

As with all iD Tech Camps courses, students exercise their imaginations along with their technical skills in the creation of a final project. In the 3D Game Design course, students create their personal vision of the game, then take home their modified version, along with original TrackMania United software. Since the game allows players to create their own tracks using a “block” process, students can use what they’ve learned at camp to continue building and experimenting long after their session ends.

For Pete Ingram-Cauchi, the CEO of iD Tech Camps, adding the 3D racing game genre was a natural next step in iD’s evolving game design course offerings. “The new TrackMania United course complements our other video game courses and expands the options for students interested in game design. We’ve had great success with other popular genres like first person shooters (FPS) using Unreal Tournament® 3, and we’re hoping that this new genre will get more students interested in game design.”

iD Tech Camps offers a unique “make your own game” experience for students ages 7-17 through seven different video game design courses, including arcade, platform and role-playing games (RPG), giving them the opportunity to develop design skills and test their interest in a gaming career. For teens who want a more intensive, pre-college experience, there is the two-week iD Gaming Academy.

The new 3D Game Design – Racing Games course featuring TrackMania United, along with the other game design courses, is offered at iD Tech Camps’ 60 prestigious university locations with weeklong, day and overnight options.

ABOUT TRACKMANIA UNITED®

TrackMania United® is a series of arcade racing games. Instead of following the usual trend of choosing a set car and track for playing in the game, the TrackMania United games allow players to create their own tracks using a “Block” process. TrackMania offers both a deep single-player mode as well as endless multi-player challenges across a world-wide community of racers who are ranked by the game’s ladder system. In contrast with most other racing games, the TrackMania series lets players race a track and respawn as many times as they want, or restart from the beginning. The goal is to achieve the best times possible on tracks made by players. Player-created tracks can be shared easily online with the millions of TrackMania United users around the world.

Of course, this got me thinking. If sales are up, it signals more demand for video games, consoles, etc. And if there is more demand, it should generally translate into good news for gaming publishers, developers, etc. And if the publishers and developers are doing well, that means they’ll be able to hire those lucrative graphic arts, software development, marketing, and other positions.

It feels good to know that iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy teach real-world game development skills including Maya® Unlimited, Unreal® Engine and other industry-standard tools. We’re teaching skills that will be useful in college–and in a possible future career in the gaming industry. At our summer video game camps, students get a real taste for what it means to work in the gaming industry–and its not all glitz and glamour. Working at a gaming studio means long hours, lots of teamwork and collaboration, the ability to multitask and hit deadlines…and the acknowledgement that one must constantly improve his/her own skills. The industry is filled with amazing talent and is very competitive. So, how do you break in to the industry?

Get started early! Practice makes perfect! Tiger Woods is not the best golfer on the planet by chance. He got an early start. He had great mentors. He is fiercely competitive. And he knows that he has to work hard day in and day out to stay competitive.

The good news is that the video game industry is growing. It is a sweet spot in our economy. Long term, the industry is poised to continue its phenomenal growth. The question is, will there be enough talent to continue the innovation in the gaming industry? The answer to this question rests with the new generation of gamers. Good luck!