Freshmen explore the school campus with their adorable astronaut avatars / Artist: Thian Armenia
The graduating class of 2025, currently 8th graders, are some of the first freshmen to start high school without ever going into their high school building. This fact raised some concerns among educators about whether or not they will be able to successfully adapt to their schools when we return to in-person learning. “Freshman year is so crucial. We’re quite worried that sophomores won’t have the learning capabilities to adjust to a new space for their education without sacrificing other aspects of their learning,” said school board member Ima N. Pasta.
In order to combat this, students from all over the United States are collaborating with video game developer InnerSloth (the creator of the popular game Among Us) to attack the problem with an inventive solution. They have recently posted an announcement on Twitter about an internship program for high school students. Interns will attend an online course, during which they will learn level design, a process for creating game worlds that players can explore. “Teaching level design will allow these teens to build maps for our game that resemble their schools,” said an InnerSloth representative.
This solution will create learning opportunities for students interested in video game design and will also provide an innate understanding of their schools’ layout to students unable to attend in-person school. “It’s intuitive right? You learn where to go quick if you have an imposter following you,” said Chase D, a freshman involved in beta testing the program. Another beta tester said that “having the maps made by students means you also get to know what teachers give harder work. Their rooms are extra tricky to play.”
InnerSloth is happy with the progress this program has made. “We hope this program will continue to allow students to bond with their peers more effectively in a digital learning environment,” they wrote in their Twitter announcement.