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Obama Launches Video Game Challenge STEM for Kids

by Amar Toor on September 17, 2010 at 03:45 PM

stem video game challenge logo President Obama knows exactly how to get American students interested in math and science: video games.

As Game Informer reports, Obama has now launched a new program called the National STEM Video Game Challenge, a competition that encourages America's students to use their math, science and engineering skills to design video games. The event, which is being held by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and E-Line Media, will offer two prizes to young gamers this year: a Youth Prize for middle school students, and a Developer Prize, which will be awarded to the best educational game for younger children.

"Our success as a nation depends on strengthening America's role as the world's engine of discovery and innovation," Obama said yesterday while announcing the launch. "I applaud partners in the National STEM Video Game Challenge for lending their resources, expertise, and their enthusiasm to the task of strengthening America's leadership in the 21st century by improving education in science, technology, engineering and math."

Spending hours in front of our consoles never did a lot to improve our report cards, but developing and designing video games clearly requires a set of skills far more important than phalangeal dexterity. And who knows, if Obama can convince enough kids that using math and science skills can be fun, American schools just might have a chance to catch up with Croatia's.

Tags: competition, education, gamedesign, gaming, government, kids, obama, ObamaAdministration, stem, students, teens, top, VideoGames

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