Meet Game Genius Jodie!

Nine-year-old Jodie is in 4th grade and lives in Melbourne, Florida. Her hobbies include soccer, piano, and violin. Irish step-dance, which she’s been doing since she was 6, is her favorite activity. She’s made some really incredible interactive coding projects, so we wanted to get to know her better!

What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be either a 3rd or 4th grade teacher. I would want to teach English Literature.

How did you get introduced to coding? My dad makes games and he encouraged me to start. I began experimenting a little bit, and then I came up with my game.

What is your favorite thing you’ve made? I do not know. The favorite thing I’ve played is probably Popcorn 2007, because there is a guy that talks to you. I like projects that are more virtual, where you can actually control the character.

Do your friends Tynker? No, not really. I remember once I was at dance class and I was using Tynker. Everyone came up to me and asked what it was, and I told them “It’s Tynker!”

Do you look at the Tynker community projects? Yes, I look at all of them. You can find good ones there often. My favorites are Penguin Land and Popcorn 2007. You get to talk and interact in Penguin Land.

What’s your favorite feature in Tynker? I do not know, there are so many awesome things. I like Workshop because there are good templates to help you learn more. Projects also help you see what you’ve already made. My favorite lesson is probably Dragon Journey.

What are you planning to make next? I’m currently making iPad Mini 2, which is a virtual version of my iPad. I also want to make a long mystery game that puts you in the place of a character. I’m already starting it. I’ve made a lot of projects, but some of them are just little experiments where I’m trying to figure out how to do it.

Why do you like to code? I like to code because it’s a really fun way of expressing what you’re thinking. If you send me an idea that’s a perfect idea for a game, I can just do it! Books are great but I love seeing something animated that’s actually working and moving across the screen.

Do you think other kids should try coding? Yeah. Other kids should try, but I don’t want the whole world coding, because otherwise we wouldn’t have food because everyone would be too busy coding.

What advice would you give for kids starting out with Tynker? Tynker explains a lot by itself. Without any words, Tynker kind of shows what it’s meant to be and what it already is.

Jodie’s dad Jordan has a background in security research and video game development, so he thinks it’s great Jodie (and her brother!) are learning to code. Jordan told us, “I think it’s a simple philosophy that anyone could code. Some people are naturally better at it but I’m a believer that anyone can do it.”

We couldn’t agree more! Thanks for chatting with us, Jodie and Jordan. Good luck with your mystery game – we’re looking forward to playing it!

Check out a few of the wonderful games that Jodie programmed in Tynker: