National STEM Video Game Challenge

I recently learned about a Video Game Design competition open to homeschoolers.  Details on the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge, have finally been released this week.  Since I know that many homeschoolers have a passion for playing video games, I thought they might want to try their hand at designing one too.  And for those homeschoolers that have already began delving into the world of video game design - let the games begin!

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) have been identified as disciplines that are most critical for success in a 21st century workforce.  These academic areas are becoming more digitally oriented, networked, and are rapidly changing. Unfortunately, students in the United States have fallen significantly behind the rest of the world in terms of STEM learning.

• Compared to other developed countries, American students ranked 25th out of 30 in math and 21st out of 30 in science (OECD Program for International Students Assessment);
• In 1970, half of the people in the world who held science and engineering doctorates were Americans, but by 2010 projections show that figure will have dropped to 15 percent (U.S. Department of Education);
• Children ages 6-12 report a high level of interest and belief in their sciences abilities. But by age 14, interest and self-confidence related to science drop off. (U.S. Department of Education).

Source:  www.stemchallenge.org

So what exactly is the Stem Video Game Challenge?  It is a country-wide competition being launched in partnership with "Digital Promise", an educational initiative created by President Obama and Congress.  Backed by the Department of Education, this program was designed to better integrate technology and education.

The competition is hoping to motivate and engage middle school and high school students to become interested in science, technology, engineering and math by challenging them to design an original video game.  As a reward, each individual winner (or member of a four-person winning team) will received an AMD-powered laptop computer with game design and educational software.  In addition, each winning entry will earn an award of $2,500 for their school (or the non-profit organization of their choice).

The competition is open to students in Middle School (grade 5-8) and High School (grades 9-12).  Students must be U.S. citizens, plus enrolled in a school in the United States (50 states or DC) or be homeschooled. Registration opened this week and the competition closes March 12, 2012. 

For complete details, visit the National STEM Video Game Challenge website.

Here are some of the suggested video game platforms that students can use to design their video game:

Gamestar Mechanic

Scratch

Gamemaker

Kodu

Open Platforms

For those homeschooler students already familiar with game development software programs (such as Multimedia Fusion 2, Unity, Flash, or ALICE), not listed on the STEM Video Game Challenge website, you should contact STEM directly for advice:  support@stemchallenge.org.

I think the National STEM Video Game Challenge is great opportunity for homeschoolers to try their skills at creating a video game.  I am especially glad to see that this competition is open to homeschooled students.  To be honest, I would be thrilled to see a homeschooler win first prize in the 2012 competition. So please spread the word, to all the homeschoolers you know.