A video game development course using the Construct 2 engine. Students will learn the fundamentals of computer programming and game design while creating their own unique games. The completed games will be made available for downloading onto mobile devices. At the end of the course the video games will be judged by professional developers in the games industry. The students will showcase their entries at a Baltimore Innovation Week event (September 20-28) held at the Digital Harbor Foundation in Federal Hill.

This is a great opportunity for students to learn how to code, create their own game, and meet people from the industry, Creating a downloadable game is a great way to build the students' excitement for learning computer programming, and the students will leave the course with a concrete accomplishment to show college admissions officers and future employers. Additionally, showcasing the talents of these students during Baltimore Innovation Week will help bring to public attention the disparity of access to computer programming courses between city school students' and their county and private school counterparts. By our estimates less than 4% of Baltimore City public school students have access to a programming class in school. We also want to highlight the growing need for computer programmers. Code.org estimates that by 2020 there will be 1,000,000 more jobs than computer science graduates. By teaching Baltimore's students to code we can help address this gap, grow the tech industry in this region, and improve the lives of the students themselves.