Budapest, April 24, 2017 11:00

• As more than 100 teams applied, instead of 20 the number of teams that can participate in the Challenge of the ‘Become an IT Expert’ program increases to 40
• Vloggers of the Gameday office demonstrate: everybody is capable of programming

The teams of more than 100 schools applied for the Challenge of the ‘Become an IT Expert’ program, the online programming adventure game launched by Telekom and T-Systems Hungary. Responding to the huge interest shown, the organizers increased the number of teams that can participate, therefore instead of 20, now 40 secondary school teams can participate in the game. Applicants first receive a programming trial task on April 24 and the first 40 teams returning the correct solution can continue the game. The contest starts on May 2, then players gain entry to the online space.

Grade 9-12 secondary school pupils participating in the Challenge can match up their knowledge with students of other schools using their encryption skills, within a game mentored by teachers. They are to resolve tasks that require algorithmic thinking and programming skills are also necessary. The Challenge is an excellent opportunity for teachers and students working in a team, uniting and developing their knowledge and participate in the contest. The story of the adventure game is an intergalactic travel. Teams find themselves in a space mission and they can only get from one location to the other by performing the required programming tasks by the deadline. Eventually, the teams also need to develop their own program and must challenge of the other competing school teams. Resolving the tasks may necessitate using a programming language that is available free of charge through the internet education opportunities, hence almost unnoticeably, during the game students master skills that they can put to use later in other areas as well.

Tasks within the Challenge promote students not to consider programming as difficult and abstract knowledge, much rather a skill mastering which even at basic level enables them to do useful and interesting things. Vloggers of the ‘Gameday’ in their video proved this using a robotic arm. Choosing from the comments given to their invitation, at the robotics faculty of the Szent István University they programmed a robot to play cards, open beer bottles or even give high five. Vloggers and the Challenge of the ‘Become an IT Expert’ program raise awareness about IT being a creative language that is easy to learn and enables solutions to everything.