Do Something Big!

Meet Karl

Karl is a high school Junior from Virginia who has always had an interest in art and design. But it was Karl’s experience at iD Tech Camps student that taught him how to portray his creations through technology. Now with one Technology Student’s Association National Championship under his belt, Karl continues to develop his skills and keeps enhancing his newly created website.

iD: What is your hometown and state?
Karl: I live in Virginia in the suburbs of the southern part of Stafford County which is only a couple of miles away from the city of Fredericksburg.

iD: What locations did you attend?
K: The only location I have attended was at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

iD: How many years have you attended iD Tech Camps?
K: I have attended iD Tech since the summer after my sixth grade year, four years total.

iD: What courses did you take?
K: I took Video Game Creation, Video Game Creation Xtreme and 3D Game Design – Role Playing Games.

iD: Why do you like iD?
K: At iD Tech Camps, I get to experience new software lets me bring my imagination to life.

iD: How has iD inspired you?
K: Prior to attending iD Tech Camps game courses, I always drew pictures of various landscapes that were laid out similarly to a video game. At the time, I never had a better medium to let my imagination run wild other than creating cartoons in PowerPoint. I’ve even designed my own website which has most of the games that I created from as far back as my first year with iD Tech Camps.

iD: Is iD a good place to make friends? Why?
K: iD Tech Camps is a great place to make friends. Most of the people who attend have similar personalities and interests so I find it very comfortable talking to others.

iD: What’s your favorite tech gadget?
K: The computer is by far my favorite gadget because you can do almost anything on it. From exploring the Internet, writing papers and making them look nice, creating professional presentations and even playing video games.

iD: How has iD helped you improve in other aspects of your life besides technology?
K: iD Tech Camps has improved my way of thinking. For example, the rules that I input into Multimedia Fusion 2 Developer^® to make the game run has changed how I look at video games, programs and math problems. I can now figure out how they work and replicate something similar, leading to my improved ability to solve problems. Plus, if there is an error in the rules, it is much easier to find solutions. This comes in handy especially in my calculus and programming classes.

iD: What do you do for fun when you aren’t at our computer camp?
K: I like to play video games, both on the Internet and on the consoles. Even surfing the Internet and reading Wikipedia is fun. However, for this school year, alongside two other team members, I am mostly working on the game to compete in the next Technology Student’s Association National Competition. I also play the trumpet which lets me compose music for my games. I am also a Life Scout in Boy Scouts of America and am very close to the Eagle rank. The week before attending iD Tech Camps, I usually attend a Boy Scout Summer Camp and earn a variety of merit badges.

iD: Do you plan to attend college?
K: Yes, I plan to attend college.

iD: If so, where would you like to go?
K: As of now, I have not decided since there are so many. I do however enjoy researching topics, as well as finding solutions to short-scale problems. Maybe I should do something computer related….

iD: What’s the #1 way you communicate with your friends?
K: I communicate with my friends mostly through e-mail and direct face-to-face communication.

iD: Any advice for future iD Tech campers?
K: My advice to future campers: Do not restrict your imagination when it comes to your project. If you are curious about something beyond the regular lessons, feel free to go ahead and ask the instructor. I’ve been doing that a lot during my time at iD Tech Camps which allowed me to delve deeper into the software and figure out things that not many people could do on their own. Also, don’t hesitate to share your knowledge and help others. That way, everyone’s games can be equally spectacular.

iD: Anything else you’d like to add?
K: It was not only me that won the Technology Student’s Association National Championship. My sister Patricia, who is one year older than me, contributed to the game we made by drawing the backgrounds and making sure the graphics were top-notch. She also debugged the game and came up with many ideas. From this, I learned that a game is at its best when made by a team of several people. As they always say, two brains are better than one.

Check out some of the cool courses Karl mentioned. Register early and do something big this summer!