Birmingham school pupils get opportunity to be video game developers for the day

Pupils at Walmley Junior School in Birmingham have had a taste of life as video game developers after one of the school’s Year Six pupils won the UK-wide My EnergyTown Competition.

The competition, run by energy company Equinor, challenged pupils to draw what they imagine a typical UK town will look like in 2050, including the variety of energy sources which might be used to power it.

Joel Parke, who is 11 years old, won the primary school level competition, which was part of Equinor’s school education programme, Wonderverse. The programme, which aims to encourage students aged 9 – 14 years to take up STEM subjects, includes the EnergyTown game where pupils are challenged to create and power a city using different energy sources ranging from wind power to gas and nuclear.

Joel’s design included the use of hydroelectricity, buildings made from recycled materials, and houses with wind turbines, and was picked from more than 160 entries submitted across the UK. As a result of his win, his whole class got the opportunity to complete a workshop with We Are Futures, the company behind the development of the EnergyTown game.

During the half-day workshop, pupils had the chance to design their very own environmental-themed game. They were taught about the fundamentals of creating a platformer game, focusing on storytelling and narrative. They then developed an overarching narrative in game design, developed a set of characters, and had an opportunity to build a prototype of their game concept in the playground to test with others.

Joel Park, who won the competition on behalf of his class, said: “I’m really glad I entered this competition. I got my ideas from the EnergyTown game itself and I combined them to create my drawing. I also got some inspiration from my friends to help me with my final design. The workshop was brilliant. I enjoyed drawing our characters and different game worlds and using the P.E equipment to try out our game ideas.”

Following the workshop, Joel’s class teacher, Mrs Pearson, said: “The children enjoyed how the workshop sessions were structured as it allowed them to explore the different elements that go into designing and making a game. The children had the chance to test each other’s games and lots of children said they wished they had more time to carry on! There was a real buzz in the classroom and the class were really engaged throughout.”

Sue Falch-Lovesey, Equinor’s UK Head of Social Value, said: “I want to congratulate Joel on winning the UK-wide competition. We had more than 160 excellent entries and it was a real privilege to see the pupil’s imaginations run wild. Importantly, it also showed a good level of understanding of the variety of energy sources our cities of the future will need. We were so pleased to be able to bring the gaming workshop to the school and give pupils an opportunity to grow their enthusiasm for science.

“At Equinor we know the enormously positive impact that STEM subjects can have on the world, and we want to make sure that the next generation gets the opportunity learn these subjects in a fun, interactive way, fostering an interest in the highly skilled jobs we’ll need in the future. This is why we developed the Wonderverse programme, and it has been fantastic to see so many schools and teachers access the resources.”

Launched in 2023, Equinor created its Wonderverse programme and EnergyTown game to provide schools and teachers with access to a suite of high-quality resources and enable students to learn more about where their energy comes from, while also developing vital STEM skills such as problem solving. Since its launch in October last year, the resources have reached more than 81,400 pupils across the UK.

For further information, please contact:

Equinor
Alice Baxter, Head of UK Media Relations
abax@equinor.com
+44 7557973941

Weber Shandwick
Fiona Kemp, Account Director
fkemp@webershandwick.com
+447929659556