Sixth App Challenge training camp opens next week

AMMAN — Schoolchildren from across Jordan will take part in a training camp next week on how to develop apps and digital games as part of the sixth edition of the App Challenge, Jordan Gaming Task Force Chairman Nour Khrais said Thursday.

Experts from the gaming lab and industry stakeholders will train the students on how to develop games and apps over a period of five days, according to Khrais.

“After the training camp, the experts will be working with the students for a period of one-and-a-half months on how to further develop and improve the digital games and apps they created and how to promote them in app stores,” he added.

Students from 12 schools are taking part in the training camp out of 33 who competed for the challenge, according to Khrais.

Once completed, the games and applications developed by students will be presented during the MENA ICT Forum slated for November, he said. 

A panel of expert will assess these apps for creativity, use of multimedia, informational content, user friendliness and practicality, and then announce the winning team.

“This competition has already benefitted many students from several schools across the country. Some of them succeeded in creating games that were placed in app stores. Others have found jobs at gaming companies,” Khrais said.

He added that the training helps students decide what major to study in university, noting that many students who took part in previous training camps completed their studies in computer science and are honing their skills in developing games.

Initiated by His Majesty King Abdullah and managed by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, the App Challenge is a school student-centred competition that invites young Jordanians to explore and engage in new emerging technologies.

It aims to challenge students’ creative problem-solving skills by enabling them to build an app that is compatible with new devices.