When it came to programming her video game for young girls, Philadelphia's Zora Ball had a good idea of the what the audience likes. She should, considering she's still only seven-years-old herself.
Ball is a first grade student at the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School who designed the video game in a class on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The class is led by Tariq Al-Nasir, head of the STEMnasium Learning Academy.
The organization uses open-source software called Bootstrap and Alice 2.0 first developed for university students, but Al-Nasir has made it more accessible through the Racket programming language.
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Wiz kid: Brilliant young programmer Zora Ball, created a video game in a class about a ballerina searching for a jewel
'We expect great things from Zora, as her older brother, Trace Ball, is a past STEM Scholar of the Year,' Al-Nasir said. 'I am proud of all my students. Their dedication to this program is phenomenal, and they come to class every Saturday, including holiday breaks.'
With the new software tools, Al-Nasir taught Ball and her classmates math in fun ways few students have been exposed to so young.
The students were able to make interactive games compromised of a player, a goal, and a hazard to avoid. Then they chose a setting.
Ball chose to make her player a ballerina in search of a jewel in a nail salon who's all the while being chased by a vampire.
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The future: New software tools have given young children unheard of opportunities to make their own games
The Philadelphia Tribune called he the youngest person every to create a full version of a mobile application video game and she recently showed off her work at Will.i.am's TRANS4M benefit show in Lose Angeles.
The pop star even played the game himself.
After such success, Al-Nasir now plans to have his first graders design even more elaborate games and enter them in competition.
In his eight and ninth grade classes, students are already creating a program to honor Martin Luther King Jr. called, 'Let Freedom Ring.'
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