I think it’s been a long time coming, but I’m really happy to be able to host an advanced-level event this year. This is the first time that SPARK has actually offered an event for students that are already experienced coders. In the past, we’ve tried to give students an introduction before each signature event and before the competitions conclude so that students that have an interest in coding have the opportunity to make something great even if they have no experience. Each year, though, we get feedback from a small but select group of students who already know how to code that want to use the skills they already have to make even better games and apps. Thanks to this outspoken group of students, we’re testing a format specifically aimed at these students – Game Jam Advanced.

Game Jam Advanced is more of what most programmers would consider a game jam or a hackathon. It’s a two-day event where students that already have experience coding on their own can brainstorm and code something based on a prompt but without the restrictions of a specific tool or programming language. Students are free to use whatever language and tools they prefer and I’m really excited to give them the freedom to really let their creativity go wild. While we’re not announcing the theme of the event until the morning of, I think students will appreciate the chance to work on something that resembles more of a real-world coding scenario rather than the step-by-step format we offer for our beginner event.

As we get closer, I’ll update the Contest page with more information about the event, but I’m happy to see that we’ve already got students registered and ready to compete. Registration will stay open until November 30th or until we hit capacity for the venue so, if you’re thinking about competing, don’t wait! Register now and get a chance to win some awesome prizes!