The Art of Code | Zach Latta | TEDxYouth@Tallinn

Summary

The speaker shares a personal journey of discovering coding through games like Club Penguin and Growl. Starting with a simple website at age seven, the passion evolved into a collaborative experience building a Halloween-themed town in Growl. This led to a realization: coding was not about finding the right answer, but about self-expression. The speaker criticizes traditional coding education for focusing on rigid solutions and advocates for a creative, project-based approach to learning, where students build what excites them, turning code into a canvas for personal expression.

Takeaways

• 🐧 The speaker and their friends were obsessed with Club Penguin, a virtual world where players could explore, earn coins, and play mini-games.
• 🌐 Inspired by Club Penguin blogs, the speaker and their friends created their own website to write about new features and game guides, despite no one visiting the site.
• 🎮 The speaker's next obsession was a game called Growl, where they were invited by the creators to help build and code parts of the game.
• 👻 The speaker worked on a Halloween-themed town called Deadwood in Growl, which became popular with thousands of players visiting after its launch.
• 💻 The speaker realized coding was more than a hobby and wanted to pursue it in school, but was disappointed by the focus on traditional exams and lack of creative freedom.
• 🧠 Coding was a way for the speaker to express themselves, building websites and games rather than focusing on solving predefined problems like in AP Computer Science exams.
• 🎨 Coding became the speaker’s creative outlet, turning code into their canvas for self-expression.
• 🇺🇸 The speaker highlighted a global push, including from figures like Barack Obama, to teach coding in schools, but criticized the traditional approach for stifling creativity.
• 🕹️ The speaker’s friend Max built a video game store called Sheep Sales, expressing his passion for gaming through coding.
• 💡 The speaker believes coding education should shift from solving single-answer problems to encouraging students to build what they are passionate about.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's story in the transcript?

The main theme is the speaker's journey of discovering a passion for coding through creative projects, highlighting how coding became a form of self-expression for them.

What was the first game the speaker and their friends were obsessed with?

The first game the speaker and their friends were obsessed with was Club Penguin.

What did the speaker and their friends decide to do after talking about Club Penguin at lunch?

After talking about Club Penguin at lunch, the speaker and their friends decided to build a website to write about the new features of the game.

How did the speaker learn to build a website?

The speaker learned to build a website by going on Google, typing 'how to build a website,' and following a tutorial.

What is Growl, and how does it compare to Club Penguin?

Growl is another game that the speaker became obsessed with. Like Club Penguin, it involves exploration, chatting with other players, and in-game activities such as buying items and earning currency.

How did the speaker become involved in developing Growl?

The speaker became involved in developing Growl after one of the game’s creators invited them to help build the game due to their active involvement in the community.

What was the speaker's first major project within Growl?

The speaker's first major project within Growl was building a Halloween-themed town called Deadwood, where they had creative freedom over its design.

What realization did the speaker have after working on Deadwood?

After working on Deadwood, the speaker realized that coding wasn't just a hobby but something they wanted to pursue academically and professionally.

Why was the speaker disappointed with the coding courses they found in school?

The speaker was disappointed because the courses focused on solving predefined problems with single correct answers, which felt restrictive compared to the creative freedom they experienced in their own coding projects.

What does the speaker believe should change in the way coding is taught?

The speaker believes that instead of focusing on solving predefined problems with one correct answer, coding classes should encourage students to build what they want and use coding as a form of self-expression.