Game modding, iPhone and iPad design, 3D modeling, game level design, Multimedia Fusion, Java programming, and web and graphic design.
Confused? I was. Imagine a camp where kids as young as 7 years old are mastering these skills, and that’s exactly what Northwestern University’s iD Tech Camp is.
At 60 prestigious universities throughout the country, kids ages 7-17 are taking their gaming and computer interests to the next level. Besides Northwestern, kids at Lake Forest College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Michigan, Purdue, Stanford, and Princeton are taking their hobbies and learning how to make them into possible careers.
In rooms at Northwestern stocked with computers, instructors assist kids as they design their own video game levels, generate video game characters, create 2-D and 3-D worlds from their own imaginations, and much more.
One camper who looked about 10 years old created his very own iPhone application, which gave step-by-step instructions on how to beat a particular video game. Another was using Java programming to create his own Black Jack program, a game he looked about 10 years too young to play.
As for the instructors who are helping them, they aren’t just your average techies. Most of the instructors are college students with majors or minors in the specific area they’re instructing, and with an average ratio of one instructor to every six kids, students are sure to get the attention they require.
Through the week, campers work on one project in a specific category so at the end of the week they can show their parents what they have accomplished.
Marion Lewis, 15 of Wilmette, is designing a 3-D robot on the computer, which eventually will be animated to dance. Coming in with no prior knowledge, Marion is learning to use a 3-D animation design program which offers a state-of-the-art toolset used in film, games, TV, advertising, publishing and graphic design.
“I wanted to be familiar with the Maya program,” Marion says. “I’m really interested in animation.” Many of the students at the camp, Marion included, have aspirations to have a career in field in which they are working. Working for Pixar would be a dream come true for Marion.
Besides the iD Tech Camps, there is also the iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and the iD Visual Arts Academy for kids to choose.
If you missed out this year, these camps are the perfect choice for kids interested in technology. No matter their level of expertise, from completely clueless or a young computer genius, this camp provides the opportunity for a child’s hobby to become a successful profession, or at least a really cool way to impress friends.
For more information on tech camps, visit iDTech.com or call 1-888-709-TECH (8324).
