The document discusses an ID Tech Camp at the University of Pennsylvania that teaches kids ages 7-17 programming and game design skills through classes like Java, mobile app development, and designing levels in Minecraft. The camp director Matt Torresani notes that the skills kids are learning like programming, problem-solving, and testing through trial and error are important for their future careers in an increasingly tech-driven world. The goal of the camp is to help kids develop critical thinking and STEM skills at a young age that will serve them well no matter what field they choose to pursue.

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Kids these days —
they’re not just playing
video games; they’re
making them.
“Right now, we’re de-
signing levels and puz-
zles that are mind-bend-
ing,” says 13-year-old
Vaughn Colestock about
his 3D Level Design class
at iD Tech Camp at the
University of Pennsyl-
vania. “I don’t have an
Xbox or a PlayStation, so
I always wanted to test
out if I like video games
like my friends do.”
ID Tech Camp at
A camp that teaches
7-year-olds to code
Video games are actually good for kids — provided they’re learning how to design them themselves. PROVIDED
At iD Tech Camp
at the University
of Pennsylvania,
the kids throw
Frisbees, play
icebreakers — oh,
and design their
own video games.
RACHEL KASHDAN
@MetroPhilly
letters@metro.us
UPenn offers program-
ming and game de-
sign courses for 7- to
17-year-olds and is one
of more than 100 sum-
mer camps the company
has at colleges around
the country. The camps
are dedicated to teach-
ing children and young
adults the STEM skills
they’ll need for a future
in technology.
“What these kids are
doing now are really the
skills that will take them
to the future jobs,” says
Matt Torresani, director
of the camp at UPenn.
“It’s not such an analog
world anymore; it’s tech.
These kids get it. They
know how to do it, and
they’re learning it every
day.”
The camp offers classes
in Java — which gives
campers programming
fundamentals they’ll need
in the future — as well as
mobile and game design.
The most popular courses,
however, are in “Mine-
craft,” a creative open-
ended video game where
players build their own
structures out of blocks
and fight monsters.
“‘Minecraft’ is com-
pletely educational, and
it’s fascinating to see
what these kids can do
in this game,” says Torre-
sani. “As a public school
teacher, I see this vast
need for the creativity,
and what these kids are
doing with ‘Minecraft’ is
creating really cool stu-
dents.”
While many iD Tech
alumni have chosen to
pursue careers in the
STEM field, the camp
teaches all kids impor-
tant skills that will ben-
efit them in whatever
career path they choose.
“[They’re learning]
critical thinking skills,
problem-solving skills,
and they’re learning
how to test through
things, trial and error,”
says Torresani. “We live
in a tech-driven world,
and it’s only becoming
more so. … This is just
giving them an oppor-
tunity to kind of further
their skills before they
get to that world.”
“We live in a tech-driven world, and it’s only
becoming more so. … This is just giving them
an opportunity to kind of further their skills
before they get to that world.” Matt Torresani