Brooks – The BrooksNET team is excited to play a role in an upcoming Game Jam hosted by the Brooks Composite High School. A Game Jam is an event where participants, typically professional programmers, game designers, and artists, try to make a video game from scratch. Participants are given a set of parameters and then work as individuals or teams to develop the game. At the end of the event, judges will play the games, choose the winner(s) and prizes will be awarded.

Game Jams have been hosted for the past three years by the Digital Media Lab at BCHS and began as a student-led initiative. In the past, there have been as high as 10 participants but due to a growing interest in computer programming, event coordinator David Brown is expecting that number to be more than double this year. The event will be held at BCHS over a 12-hour period on December 16th -17th and the prizes and meals for students are being sponsored by BrooksNET.

“We’re so proud that we can provide students with access to technology and an opportunity to build their skills right here in Brooks,” says David Brown, a teacher at the Brooks Composite High School and faculty sponsor for the Digital Media Lab. “We’ve seen so much talent come through our school and our students are starting to make waves in the tech industry.” Alumni of the Digital Media Lab are currently attending highly esteemed tech schools such as the Vancouver Film School and the Think Tank Training Centre and students recently won a bronze medal at a national skills competition.

Knowing that tech jobs are growing at about twice the rate of the overall workforce, there are some big opportunities for students with the skills and knowledge gained through events like this. Adam Lamont, representing Community Network Partners on
the BrooksNET team, states that “programmers, coders and software engineers are jobs that are in big demand, but they’re also jobs that can be done anywhere… so long as you have a sufficient internet connection. BrooksNET will be providing this necessary infrastructure so that residents can have the same access to these opportunities.” The BrooksNET.ca brand new fibre-to-the-home network being constructed by BrooksNET will give residents the connectivity required to work and learn from home. Locals will be able to remotely attend top notch tech and design schools and go on to work for industryleading firms; all while remaining rooted in the community and capitalizing on the benefits of a small-town lifestyle. High speed broadband, provided by BrooksNET, will make this opportunity a reality.

This Game Jam is being held to celebrate Computer Science Education Week, which falls from December 5th -11th, 2022. The initiative is an annual call to action to inspire K12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field. BrooksNET understand the importance of ongoing tech learning and celebrating the amazing talents in the community.

For more information about the Game Jam and BrooksNET’s involvement, please email info@brooksnet.ca or contact: