Chess Champion Braden Found Tynker Through His Friends!

Featured Maker Braden is a budding young programmer and future inventor! The fourth grader lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so as he told us, he’s a Packers fan. He’s been coding for a year and has created some really fantastic projects!

When he’s not coding, Braden enjoys drawing, playing video games, or camping. He’s also really involved in chess – he has been playing for two years, has 20 trophies, and is on a varsity chess team. We chatted with Braden and learned a lot about him and why he loves to code!

What’s your favorite subject in school? Writing, because I enjoy using my imagination. In a story I recently wrote, I battled broccoli and won!

How did you feel when you found out your project had been featured? Surprised! Shocked! I couldn’t believe it! My chance to be famous!  

How did you get introduced to Tynker? My friends were coding with Tynker and they liked it, so I tried it.  

How did you learn how to use Tynker when you were first starting out? I was able to figure it out by looking at the code used in other projects and got some help from my older brother.   

How do you get inspiration for your projects? My imagination!

How do you use your creativity when you code? I make fun and silly projects.  

Why do you like to code? I love to code because it allows me to make whatever I want – the sky’s the limit!

What is your favorite project you’ve made so far? Gopher the Gold Update 4. I like the variety of levels I made!

“Gopher the Gold Update 4”  Check out more of Braden’s projects here!

Is there anything you’re planning to make next or currently working on? I am working on a boss battle. 

What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? I have thirteen projects but haven’t published most of them yet. Some I’ve made just to tease my mom.  

What’s your favorite feature in Tynker? The Minecraft texture pack because I love everything Minecraft related!

Do you ever Tynker with your friends? Yes, my friends do Tynker!

How do you think learning coding now might help you in the future? Learning to use technology of all kinds and problem-solving is always helpful.

Do you think other kids should try coding? Absolutely! Let your creativity run wild!  

What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker? Start out small, find a friend to help you, watch a tutorial.  

Braden’s mom Tina loves that with Tynker, Braden “is able to be creative in a way that until recently kids were never able to.” She continued, saying, “This app makes it fun and keeps his interest. It encourages creativity and problem-solving. I am thankful for apps like this that make it easy to learn!”

Thanks for chatting with us, Braden and Tina! It was great to hear your perspectives and learn more about Braden and his projects. Keep coding!