Students enter the ‘Game of Codes’

Budding computer coders gather at Cardiff University for the final of software development competition

Schoolchildren from across Wales have descended on Cardiff University to showcase their computer coding talents in a national competition designed to inspire the next generation of computer scientists and software engineers.

The final of the ‘Game of Codes’ competition, which has been held at the University’s School of Computer Science & Informatics, tested the students’ ability to design and create innovative and creative software programs centred on a specific topic.

The aim of the event is to help the students develop their problem-solving, communication and team working skills, whilst at the same time informing them of the range of possibilities that a career in computer science, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) more generally, can offer.

The students were tasked with creating a computer program around the theme of ‘sport’, which could take the form of anything ranging from games and websites, to apps, quizzes and animations.

The students were encouraged to use a range of methods to create the software, and were judged on how original the creation was, and how effectively it was designed with a target audience in mind.

Sixteen teams from schools across Wales took part in the competition, which was judged by academics from the University, as well as special guest judges.

The event was delivered by Technocamps – an outreach programme involving a host of Welsh universities that delivers school workshops in computer science, and digital literacy topics including game development, programming, app development and robotics.

As technology continues to develop at a rapid pace, so too do the job prospects in computer science. In Wales, there is currently a large demand for qualified software developers; research undertaken by Welsh Government has shown that 3,100 new IT recruits are required each year in Wales just to meet existing demand from industry.

To supplement the range of degree courses the School of Computer Science & Informatics offers, the University recently launched a National Software Academy, in collaboration with Welsh Government, to meet this demand and equip graduates with the necessary skills and experience that makes them ‘work-ready’ when they enter employment.

Catherine Teehan, Placement Officer at the School of Computer Science & Informatics, said: “We are delighted to welcome these highly talented coders to the University today to test out their software engineering skills as part of this national competition. We are looking forward to seeing the students’ innovative software creations on display and hope that they will gain a wealth of experience from the activities that we have organised for them.

“Software engineering really is an exciting and growing line of work that provides so many opportunities to work on a range of projects in a variety of sectors. We hope that by running events like the ‘Game of Codes’ competition we can inspire the next generation to consider studying and working in this field.”