As part of the district’s Community Services Summer Recreation Program, students in grades 5-7 put their creativity to the test in the Video Game Design course held at East Northport Middle School this summer.

Led by Northport Middle School technology teacher Christopher Smith, the introductory course allowed students to design, develop and program simple 2-D games and personalize them to their liking. Students picked which time frame worked best with their summer schedule with four weeks of the course being offered. Each course took place for four days from Monday through Thursday for two hours.

Students gathered in one of the school’s computer rooms where they were taught the basics of computer programming to create their own characters, enemies, power-ups and levels to place into their games. They worked at their own pace and added sounds and background music to their creations.

At the end of each of the courses, the students took home their games to share with family and friends.