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11-Year-Old Wins Coding Competition After Creating His Own Video Game

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April 9, 2021

Taking the gaming world by storm!

An 11-year-old just won a coding competition after creating his very own video game, AfroTech reports.

Dominic Darby is a Jamaican native who just won the XPRIZE Connect Code3 Games competition. Dominic’s mom, Shelian Darby, said he first began coding at six-years-old after attending a summer program facilitated at the University of the West Indies. He continued to expand his knowledge of coding, self-learning using online platforms like YouTube and reading books. It was in his program that he first learned about MIT’s Scratch coding software. He credits his mother with convincing him to enter the competition.

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“My mother inspired me, she gave me the competition format, it seemed pretty good so I entered it. I’ve had experience with game mechanics but I’ve never created a game before,” Dominic said. 

As part of the competition, Dominic created his own game titled, “How to Fall,” a game featuring a character who has to conquer multiple levels while avoiding obstacles. It took Dominic months to finish the game and at the end his hard work paid off. He won the XPRIZE competition, becoming one of 17 winners out of 3,000 competitors. Dominic was named “Best in Class,” winning a $1,000 cash prize in the Junior Division. 

The competition is a partnership between California nonprofit XPRIZE and video game developer E-Line Media with the help of Endless Network. The organizations hope to use the competition as a way to improve the lives of people using technology. 

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The pre-teen is currently a student at Wolmer’s Preparatory School but one day hopes to study and work in computer science.

Congratulations Dominic!

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Photo Courtesy of YouTube/AfroTech

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