Words of Wisdom from a 12 Year Old Supercoder

Meet Kedai.

Known throughout the Hopscotch community as the one and only Kiwicute2015, Kedai is responsible for some of the most innovative projects made to-date in Hopscotch, an iPad app that lets kids make and share their own games.

When she asked us if she could visit our office for a few days while her dad was in NYC for a conference, we couldn’t have said yes faster.

We asked Kedai to share some of the things she saw, learned, and thought about while working at Hopscotch. Here’s a glimpse into the mind of a 12 year old supercoder.

Let’s go back in time. How did you first get interested in coding?

I was wondering how people made games like Minecraft and others — how all of that worked. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make games or just see how they worked, so I looked up coding. At first, I tried the coding where you type everything out, and it was really confusing.

What’s the hardest part about coding?

Getting what you want. First, you have this giant idea about something, and you start making it but it gets too crazy, and you have to rethink it.

Has coding changed the way you think? And if so how?

Coding has made me more creative. Nobody actually teaches you how to get good at coding, and even if they try, you have to figure it out for yourself to get really good.

You can’t rely on others. In skating, my coach isn’t always there, so I have to figure out how to do a 720 and, even if he is there and he teaches me, I still have to keep doing it myself in order to get it right.

What would you say to someone who wants their daughter to code like you?

You know how, sometimes, you can right-click to see more about a website? Here [in Hopscotch] you can do that with games. I’d show her that. She might be like “No, that’s too hard!”, and I’d say “You should try it before you say that!”

And what would you say to someone starting Hopscotch?

Explore every single block. Especially values. They’re really… valuable.

Ha!

Be patient. Don’t get aggravated when you don’t get something right the first time. You may have to approach it a different way. Watch others, and look at their code so you can learn from it. Be creative and explore.

Alright, it’s your last day. What did you learn while working at Hopscotch?

I learned so much! I learned how to program a joystick, how to make video tutorials, and trigonometric functions like sine and cosine, which are used to make circles, ovals, and rounded things on Hopscotch. After learning about this, I’m going to be way ahead of my classmates when it comes to trigonometry. [Editor’s note: She’s right.] My “Impossible Game” was based on sine and cosine. It’s a game where you drag a cat to catch a mouse, but the mouse keeps getting away from you, no matter how hard you try.

What was your favorite part of the week? (Aside from the fact that you got to play on your iPad all day everyday!)

I liked how everyone acted crazy when I found out that Valgo⚡️⚡️⚡️ figured out a way to create any color in Hopscotch.

What Hopscotch project are you most proud of making?

My favorite projects that I’ve made are called Piano, Ocean Life, and Elephant Drawing.

My favorite projects by other Hopscotchers are Taj Mahal by Funky 63, Blue Ball’s Adventures 12 Virtual World Game by Game Maker, Pirate Ship by Creation of a Noob, Lemonade Stand by -Madi-, and Sushi Chef by MagmaPOP.

When you’re not crushing it in Hopscotch, what else do you like to do?

I like to dance, skate, and play piano. I skate and play piano competitively. I won first place in a New Hampshire state competition, and second in a New England regional competition.

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Maybe a coder, I’m not sure. Or some other sort of engineer. I don’t really know yet!

We’re kind of obsessed with good food. What did you think of the places around our office (in Midtown Manhattan)?

The food was pretty good. Not the best. My mom’s is better.

PS: Be sure to check out Kiwicute’s awesome video tutorial on how to make color gradient backgrounds. 😄