Hayden: From Video Game Player to Video Game Coder

Hayden is a 5th grader in Minnesota. He published some awesome games and stories on Tynker, so we asked him to sit down with us to talk about coding.

What are your hobbies? I read and I play games on my computer, like Portal 2.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A lawyer or a physicist.

How did you first start coding? I first got introduced to coding by my GATE teacher with Hour of Code.

How do you use Tynker in school? It’s kind of a pastime. Let’s say you have a math assignment or something. When you’re done with that, you have the option of going on to Tynker.

What’s your favorite feature in Tynker? I really like how you can draw.

What’s your favorite thing you’ve made? Probably the Cookie Clicker game.

What inspired you to make your Bob the Hippo projects? Bob the Hippo first came into existence when I tried to help a friend make a Crossy Road game. I changed it to a hippo and started doing random things on it.

What are you planning to make next? A Five Nights at Freddy’s game.

Since his interview, Hayden has published alpha and beta editions of this game. Here’s the most recent one:

Do you ever look at the Tynker community? Yeah, I like the Dark Room game.

Why do you like coding? It’s interesting. It’s an art to everyday life. Like this phone that I’m holding right now is using coding to run.

What’s your advice for kids starting out with coding? Don’t get afraid from the complexity of all the stuff [in the Tynker Workshop]. You’ll learn how to deal with all of it.

Hayden plans to continue learning with a middle school coding class in his gifted and talented program next year. His mother Mandy says programming is a great addition to his interests as a creative outlet: “He’s been so creative from an early age and mixing in some programming and coding seems to be right up his alley!”

Thanks so much for talking to us, Hayden. Your Bob the Hippo projects were favorites around the Tynker office and your Five Nights at Freddy’s project is one of the most popular games that’s been published to the Tynker community EVER. We loved hearing about why you love to code!