Coding Gives Ané a Greater Appreciation for the Games She Plays!

Thirteen-year-old Ané is in 7th grade and lives and codes in South Africa. Her hobbies include swimming, piano, and LEGO League Robotics! We’ve been really impressed with her games and wanted to chat with her to learn more about what motivates her to code.

What’s your favorite subject in school? Literature!

What do you want to be when you grow up? A computer engineer because I love programming. I want to learn how to build three-dimensional games.

How did you get introduced to Tynker? I was obsessed with wanting to build my own game, and eventually, I came across Tynker. I just started programming. I loved it!

How long have you used Tynker? About a year and a half.

What is your favorite thing you’ve made? Phoenix! I love reading – especially mythology – so when I was looking for a game idea, Phoenix just popped into my head.

Do you look at the Tynker community projects? Yes, definitely! I love getting ideas from other people and seeing their point of view.

What’s your favorite feature in Tynker? How easy it is to use! It’s not very complicated.

What do you do with a project when you’re done with it? I publish it. Well, first, I let my sister play with it. I like to see what she says – whether this needs to be changed, or that could be better. Then, I publish it.

Why do you like to code? Coding gives me freedom. A lot of times when I play games I see, that could be different, that could be so much better if I could do it this way, and then I can just do that in Tynker!

Has learning to code changed the way you see games? Definitely! I was unimpressed by simple games with horrible graphics, but now I see how difficult it is to do that! I have much more respect for them.

Do you think other kids should try coding? Definitely! A lot of kids I know love gaming, but they always have complaints about what they’d want to change in the game. I think coding would be a good way for them to learn how to make those changes.

What advice would you give for kids starting out with Tynker? Be patient, even when it feels like you want to strangle the computer! When I have bugs, I Google them.

Ané’s father Francois told us he thinks “programming and analytical thinking are so important as part of your education.” He believes that “music, swimming lessons, and sports activities balance life, and coding is included in that. You have to develop that part of your brain.” He is also a big believer in the problem-solving skills programming provides, saying, “I think the biggest thing with coding is you suddenly see there is more than one way to do something.”

We couldn’t agree more! Coding gives a unique perspective on problem-solving, and those skills can apply to so many parts of life! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Ané and Francois. We can’t wait to see what you come up with next, Ané! Keep Tynkering!