» Tektoma: Where Programming Wizards Are Trained

Tektoma: Where Programming Wizards Are Trained

8 Feb

Tektoma, in case you don’t know, is a company that teaches children how to create computer/video games for fun. I think it’s a great concept because it’s a fun introduction to programming and is a practical application of logic skills. Having failed computer programming back in the dark ages of punch card readers anyone who can make programming enjoyable gets a standing ovation from me!

My girls are very “fluent” (i.e., will go overboard with playing them if I don’t stop them) in computer games and video games so I thought that this would be a slam dunk success. Boy was I wrong! They absolutely couldn’t stand it. My youngest daughter politely told me that she wasn’t interested and never touched the program again. You may recall that in a previous video review my oldest daughter announced that she wanted to create a video game. So, she should have been thrilled to pieces, right? WRONG!

When we first downloaded everything and were getting setup we had a few hiccups because I didn’t read through all of the instructions and missed a download area. Okay, things were still going well — excitement was high and Jade’s games were going to be the next Animal Crossing meets Final Fantasy. And then we started getting into the actual work. By the end of the first week she was through. One of her main difficulties stem from an auditory delay earlier in her life. Although she’s a strong reader, listening and watching the video requires her to listen to the instructions and then execute them in order. So many times she would begin the process correctly, forget or misplace a step and get frustrated. Having to do the troubleshooting really drove her crazy. (Hey, that she gets honestly — I could never debug a program in a million years either.)

Was it the Tektoma’s fault? Not at all. The videos are very easy to follow. The pace is just right — not too fast, not too slow. The samples and pictures were very clear, which I appreciate. I’ve worked with some video tutorials that were very fuzzy and frustrating. The lessons are setup to gradually progress from a simple racing game to the more complex fantasy/adventure type games. The graphics remind me of my favorite Kings Quest games from Sierra, kind of blocky shapes, but easily recognizable and customizable too!

They also have a community that you can share your creations with and ask questions about things that you may be having problems setting up. Tektoma’s customer support was very good.When I had questions about that file I missed, I received an answer within the same day with tips and reminders that if I had any questions to please let them know. And best of all as the children grow in proficiency with their programming skills, they can share their own creations with other children within the community. A great boon for parents who have children who blow through store bought video games! Next time they claim they’re bored, just send them to the forum and let them download another kid’s game.

So to be fair for the review, I asked one of my neighbor’s son to take a look at the program and play around with the interface. He loved it! He thought this was the best thing since chocolate cake and was disappointed that I wouldn’t let him take Jade’s computer home with him so that he could continue working. He had no difficulty working the program and was able to correct his mistakes quickly and easily. Just different strokes for different folks I guess.

Tektoma offers two different ways to for you and your family to get involved. The first way is through a monthly subscription of $14.95/mo. or $140/annually. This gives you access to the tutorials, forums, file sharing, etc. They also have a summer camp option for children 7 and up called “Bits, Bytes & Bots Computer Adventures®” where the children learn about robotics, stop-motion animated movie making and game creation.

So, although Tektoma was a bust for my family, I do think it has a lot to offer to children (and even adults) who feel that creative computer gene growing restless. They allow a 14-day free trial of the program, so you can see which category of interest your child(ren) fall into before you make the investment. If you want to learn more, just click Tektoma’s banner below and it’ll take you to their home page.