SPACE INVADERS - PYTHON AI EDITION

In Space Invaders: Python AI Edition, teens step into the role of game developers + AI designers, building a modern version of a classic arcade game using Python, then levelling it up with enemies that think, react, and adapt.

Teens code the foundation of the full game: player controls, enemy fleets, scoring systems, and game states. From there, they go beyond “basic movement” and begin designing intelligent enemy behaviour, systems that make decisions using conditions, probability, and state-based logic, creating gameplay that changes in response to the player.

Each session follows a studio-style build cycle: students code, test, debug, and refine, adding complexity day by day. As the week progresses, teens implement core game-AI tools like decision trees, state machines, rule-based logic, and adaptive difficulty, learning how real games balance challenge and fairness.

By the end of the program, teens leave with:

• Stronger skills in Python, AI behaviour modelling, and debugging complex logic
• Levels, scoring, and adaptive gameplay features they can extend after camp
• Enemy AI systems that respond to player position, timing, and game state
• A fully playable Space Invaders-style Python game

The week wraps with a Game AI Showcase, where teens present their game, explain how their enemies “think,” and playtest one another’s creations (plus Pizza Lunch Day on Friday!).