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2023 ASEAN Roblox Game Development Organizer Wrapped

The annual ASEAN Roblox Game Development Competition aims to challenge young coders from across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia as they delve into the world of Roblox Studio and create their science-inspired games. This annual competition seeks to recognize young talents in the realm of Roblox game development and Lua coding.

Notably, this year marked the first time the competition was conducted in a hybrid setting: physically in Singapore and online in Malaysia and Indonesia. The event drew over 70 participants from these countries, making it a truly engaging experience. Students were tasked with creating a Roblox game with an animal theme, aiming to educate users about animal-related concepts. Today, we interviewed Sherine, the main organizer of our annual Roblox competition:

Hi Sherine, could you tell us more about yourself and your role in Empire Code?

Hi everyone! I graduated from NUS Life Sciences & Psychology and am currently in the Marketing department at Empire Code. Apart from marketing, I organize Empire Code’s annual competitions and consult parents & students for DSA applications. Having started as a part-time sales assistant during my last semester at university, I decided to work full-time here due to the joy and fulfillment I find in contributing to a child’s learning journey. Moreover, in today’s digital era, coding is the digital literacy, and I believe students should be equipped with basic technology proficiency for the future.

What is your perspective on kids learning coding through Roblox?

At Empire Code, Roblox (and Minecraft) are among our most popular modules. Initially skeptical about kids learning coding through gaming, I was amazed at the innovative idea of introducing coding through something they enjoy. Roblox Studio, the game development platform, allows kids to learn coding concepts they’ll later encounter in Python or other advanced coding languages. Seeing immediate results in their game reinforces logical and computational thinking, which are crucial skills for the future.

Why did you decide to hold the annual ASEAN Roblox Game Development Competition?

I see it as a way to give back to the community. Kids invest hours in learning to create their own game, and a competition lets them apply these skills, showcasing their work to others. Competing builds confidence, sportsmanship, problem-solving skills, and creativity. The three-hour time constraint emphasizes efficient game development, encouraging students to consider various aspects beyond aesthetics, such as storylines, user experience, and interfaces.

What was your experience organizing the Roblox Competition?

I also organized the online ASEAN Roblox Competition last year, but this year, it was the first hybrid competition – physical for Singapore students and online for Malaysian and Indonesian students. Organizing both formats required additional considerations, and I’m grateful our partners trusted my leadership. Feedback from parents and students indicates an enjoyable overall experience, with enthusiasm for next year’s competition.

Were there any interesting builds that stood out during the competition?

Absolutely! Students showcased remarkable creativity, developing games within three hours to educate users about different types of fishes. Some built games teleporting users to various habitats to learn about resident animals, with a lobby teleportation feature upon completing specific habitat games. The students’ passionate presentations also impressed the judges, highlighting their confidence in their game. It was a fulfilling experience, and I hope participants learn from judges’ feedback and the competition itself.

Lastly, any words for the winners or participants?

Congratulations to everyone! I am genuinely proud of each student for stepping outside their comfort zone to join this competition. Winning doesn’t define success – the sky’s the limit in coding, requiring continuous learning and occasional unlearning for more efficient approaches. Thank you all for your presence; we appreciate each one of you! See you next year!

Read what our parents and students say about their experience in this year’s competition:

“It was a good experience for Jin Rui. We told him to go without expectations as it’s his first competition, but he loved the experience and he wants to go for next year’s competition and try again!” – Jin Rui’s Mother

“Thank you for organizing the competition and we are happy that Kyan is enjoying his coding learning journey with you all at Empire Code. Congratulations on the successful and well-run Roblox Competition!” – Kyan’s Mother

“For the training program, he enjoyed learning codes he could use for the competition, was allowed to learn at his own pace and had the creativity to create what he wanted. For the competition, he enjoyed the flexibility of creating whatever he wanted and he could apply the codes he had learnt from the camp “ – Brandon’s Mother

From Gamers to Coders: Develop Coding Skills Through Minecraft and Roblox

To all Parents: If you’re concerned that your kids’ love for playing Minecraft and Roblox might not be useful, fear not! These games offer far more than just entertainment value – they also offer opportunities to learn Coding and Game Development skills. In addition to coding, they also enhance skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and soft skills irreplaceable by AI: Creativity and Collaboration. 

Schools have been weaving Minecraft and Roblox into class time, to complement science, history, math and many other subjects! Singapore schools have also incorporated Minecraft and Roblox into sessions, to relay tricky concepts in a fun & engaging manner. Utilising Minecraft Education Edition and Roblox Studio allows your children to pick up coding concepts, whilst having fun.

Minecraft is a game that allows players to build anything they want within the limits of the 3D world. The educational version of Minecraft, known as “Minecraft: Education Edition”, offers a block-based programming platform that allows students to code their very own educational games. It offers a user-friendly interface for kids to learn coding concepts in relatable ways, and encourages experimentation with concepts such as loops, conditional statements and functions, whilst they build their own virtual games. 

Learning how to code using Minecraft helps students develop computational thinking, logical thinking, critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills. Minecraft can also complement skill sets in math and science. For math, students learn concepts such as coordinates and area. The requirements for precise dimensions and coordinates are the key to creating a successful game. For Science, Minecraft has a chemistry lab where students can use chemicals in the lab and explore the reactions of various chemicals. 

Roblox studio, on the other hand, offers a more advanced coding experience through its embedded programming language: Lua. This platform allows users to develop their own games, create assets and program the game logic from scratch. Lua is a powerful coding language that is used in a variety of industries such as gaming and web development. Through this, students can gain a solid foundation in syntax programming, which can be applied to more advanced coding languages such as Python and Javascript. Furthermore, they can also learn 3D modeling skills by creating their models through Blender and importing these models in Roblox. Additionally, Roblox has multiplayer environment features which encourages collaboration and problem-solving skills amongst players.

Learning how to code using Minecraft and Roblox opens up a world of opportunities for students. Coding is a valuable skill that is in high demand in today’s age, and by learning how to code through Minecraft and Roblox, kids can gain a competitive edge in their future careers. Furthermore, who doesn’t like to learn in a fun way? Beyond career benefits, learning to code complements their education, and develops life skills such as critical & logical thinking; essential skills they can use in any industry they find themselves in. With the growing demand for coding skills, it is never too late to learn how to code. Let your kids unleash their creativity and use their love for Minecraft and Roblox to do something productive! Sign up for our FREE Minecraft and Roblox trial classes now! Contact us at +65 8145 5004 to book a trial class. 

Sources:

I am famous! Well, almost…

What’s a side perk of owning a Computer Science school? We get to go on national TV 📺! 

In mid-November, I received an email from a deputy editor at Mediacorp, asking to do a 7-minute feature with Empire Code which would be aired on Channel 8 Chinese news. The theme is about the emerging trends of computer science workshops for children and teenagers. Mediacorp would like to interview the manager 🙋🏻‍♀️, 1 of our trainers, and a parent-child pair. 

We were obviously over the moon🌙 to be featured by the largest media company in Singapore! Firstly, I had to fix a filming day with Mediacorp. I asked for an extra week to prepare as I had to call all the parents of our Minecraft coding camps to obtain their consent for their children’s media to be featured on Channel 8. Concurrently, we began approaching our camp parents, enquiring if they would like to be interviewed with their children as part of the feature. Surprisingly, this proved to be the most challenging! Most parents gladly volunteered their children to be interviewed; however, almost all of them were too shy themselves to appear in front of national tv. 😳😲

Thankfully, after MUCH cajoling, we managed to find two parent-child pairs for the interview. The biggest challenge for all interviewees stemmed from the requirement that all the interviews had to be conducted in Mandarin. Though I did Higher Chinese in Chung Cheng High, it has been a few decades (yes, I am that old 🤣) since I read any essays/news/documents in Mandarin….Honestly, my only exposure to the language since Junior College involves making online purchases on Taobao 🤣🤣

There was a very interesting question raised, enquiring if courses revolving around the Metaverse concept is getting popular amongst parents and students. The simple answer is: Many parents have heard of the word but in terms of truly understanding its meaning and wanting to sign up for a Metaverse-related course for their children, is a different story altogether.   

All in all, I am glad to say everyone had fun!! A big thank you to Mediacorp’s Channel 8 for doing a feature about our Roblox and Minecraft coding classes and our views about Metaverse!