How to Become a Computer Geek 101

[Japher]

A friend of mine has a son who was allowed to skip 2 grades and enter high school early. He tried it for 1 week and knew it wasn't for him, he wants a life and I think that's great. His parents do to. However, all the kid does is sit around and play video games (Runescape) with his friends when he's not doing anything else.

He's a brilliant kid and has expressed an interest in doing something after school until he enters high school to help cure his thirst for knowledge, he already does the sports thing. His parents think he'd like something in strategy, i.e. chess. Yet when I speak with him he doesn't want to that and would rather work on video games. I think he could totally handle learning programming languages and the like.

So, how does a 7th grader find a club or after school activity that would do this? I did music all through school as my extracurricular. I joined youth symphonies and concert orchestras. Is there anything he could do that would be like this? I looked at local Uni but they weren't really forthcoming with info.

Any help would be great. We are in Cincinnati.

Thanks

[SlowwHand]

That last sentence ****s him.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

It's another online activity, but I would encourage him to get involved in a game modding community somewhere.

[Kuciwalker]

A friend of mine has a son who was allowed to skip 2 grades and enter high school early. He tried it for 1 week and knew it wasn't for him, he wants a life and I think that's great. His parents do to. However, all the kid does is sit around and play video games (Runescape)

That eliminates all possibility of him becoming a computer geek.

[Japher]

don't quit now

[Ben Kenobi]

Is homeschooling an option? He could start right now on his highschool stuff and get through with that. It would kill many birds with one stone.

[DaShi]

If I can learn to code in my spare time, this kid should be able to do it easily at home.

[Provost Harrison]

Yeah, it is a pity that kids can't find anything else to do other than computer games, but at least it keeps them from getting bored sh*tless. I grew up (for the first 7 years of my life) in Inner Hull, not a nice place, and I remember how boring it was, but it means you have to make friends and mess around keeping yourselves entertained. However in areas like that nowadays that metamorphoses into stabbing people and getting into hot water. Good job I moved when I did...

[-Jrabbit]

Give him a copy of Civ4.

[DaShi]

And tell him to fix it.

[-Jrabbit]

Sorry! The administrator has specified that users can only post one message every 30 seconds.

[Japher]

[Pekka]

I'd say this will probably kill his creativity and brilliance, even when I don't know this kid.

If he is truly brilliant, he wouldn't be wandering around and not doing anything. Thus, he is most likely talented, but also doesn't have aspiration that is the key element of any brilliant person. That is, school often kills these brilliant people, turns them away from many fields, but at some point they get might find out what they like and bypass the whole school and become excellent at it, natural born experts.

If this kid loves video games and wants to do game developing, he would have already done it. He would be programming as it is. He would then have a drive for it. To me it sounds like he likes to play and hang around, but that's it. Sure, every gamer "would like to develop games" or "test games", what ever. If you are good at it, you would be already doing it. That's how it goes, it's the natural selection of the field, and most other IT fields, when it comes to those who are very good.

So, I'd basically sort it out, why the **** is he not doing anything productive for his thirst of knowledge. What does he like, what does he truly like, and no, video games isn'n an answer, that's like saying porn. We all like video games and porno, but there's hardly any knowledge part in it.

Trust me, this kid isn't a game developer. I mean he might become one, but he isn't natural and I don't think it's a career for him at all. Why does it have to be something like that, strategic or sort of scientific? IF he likes to dance, let him dance then. If he likes to... just let him discover stuff, see what he really likes, something he is good at, and let him at it. Something where he actually finds out for himself, where you guys don't have to come with alternatives, bring it in front of him and ask, "what about this?". This kid lacks some serious motivation it seems to me, isn't in high school and already not getting his ass out and discovering the world. Surely his talent must be directed at something in general, and that generic area has many options. I'd say kick his ass and say it's a tough world, mother****er, you aren't paying for these games or the food, or anything else on that matter, so better learn some fighting first, because I'm going to smash your face.

[Asher]

Ben never fails to be wrong

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Is homeschooling an option?

Brilliant kid --> let's homeschool him to fix that

[rah]

MY fist instinct is to almost agree with everything Pekka said, but after a few seconds.................

The Kids in 7th grade, let him have some fun. Childhood is already getting way too short, let's not eliminate it.

Give the kid a progamming book and see if it entertains him or bores the crap out of him.