Leighton Buzzard youngster sets sights on game development career after reaching highest Code Ninjas level
A Leighton Buzzard ‘Ninja' has reached Gold Belt – the highest level of achievement at Code Ninjas Milton Keynes.
And for Robert Trasler, the three years of coding, problem-solving and increasingly ambitious projects has helped shape his future.
After finishing Sixth Form at Cedars Upper School in Leighton Buzzard, he will begin studying game design and programming at the University of Staffordshire this autumn – with his sights already set on a career as an indie game developer and designer.
Code Ninjas is the world’s largest kids’ coding franchise, teaching programming, robotics, and digital literacy to children ages five to 14.
It uses a martial arts-inspired belt system that allows young people to progress through advanced coding skills with Ninjas – the name given to Code Ninjas students – working their way through different-coloured belts culminating in Black Belt, before taking on the challenge of achieving the programme’s highest accolade, Gold Belt.
Robert joined Code Ninjas three years ago, attending for two hours each week and often lending a hand to other young coders.
Led by Girish Betadpur, the Broughton Gate-based centre has evolved alongside a rapidly changing technology landscape.
Coding remains at the heart of its programmes, while young Ninjas can also explore robotics, game development and artificial intelligence.
Robert put those skills to the test with his Gold Belt project, Voidsent, an action platformer in which players battle enemies as they progress through the game.
“One of the biggest things I’ll take away from Code Ninjas is learning how to approach problems, work through issues and find solutions,” said Robert. “It’s helped me grow beyond the coding itself, and I know those skills will be useful in the future.
“When I started my final project, I thought I could focus on the end result and everything would come together. I soon realised I needed to plan in much more detail. Changing my approach really paid off and gave me a good insight into what working on a project in a software company could actually be like.
“I’d love to become a full-time indie game developer and designer after university, so I’m excited to keep building on everything I’ve learnt.”
Find out more about Code Ninjas Milton Keynes here.