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Boy Scouts of America go modern, make designing videogames a badge-worthy affair
Obvious truths: Boys love videogames. Videogames are fun. Earning awards for loving videogames and wanting to make them is ridiculous and pretty darn sweet. It's also now entirely possible if you're a Boy Scout (Cub Scouts have enjoyed this privilege for some time now). The organization that made khakis, neckerchiefs and canteens fashionable has now officially added Game Design to its array of merit badges. The new badge, devised in conjunction with several industry members and enthusiasts, requires young scouts to conceive, test and build a game prototype using such traditional methods as cards, die or a smartphone app. Yes, you read that right. Incredibly ambitious model-citizens-in-the-making can put all their 21st century knowledge and native digital know-how together to build a mobile gaming app to help them climb the ladder to Eagle Scout status. It's definitely a modern step for the century-old youth group. We just wish the "reward" were a little more substantial than a cloth cut-out.
Robotics merit badge gets official within Boy Scouts of America, Wall-E approves emphatically
Yours truly knows exactly how determined one has to be to achieve the honor of Eagle Scout, but it's getting a heck of a lot easier for the more modern offspring of this world. This month last year, we saw the Video Games belt loop sashay into the Cub Scout ranks and make all of the others seem inadequate, and now, there's yet another award that'll likely have your nerd-of-a-child clamoring to suit up in blue or brown. The Robotics merit badge was just made official within the Boy Scouts of America, falling nicely into a sect that promotes science, technology, engineering and math. Officials are purportedly expecting some 10,000 or so of the nation's 2.7 million Scouts to earn this badge within the next dozen months, with those who choose to do so required to "design and build a robot while learning about robot movement, sensors and programming." Thankfully for aspiring Ben Heckendorns, we're told that "even some video game controllers can be considered robots," proving that we're just one leap of faith away from a bona fide Hacking badge. Hey, they want us to Be Prepared, right?
Boy Scouts introduce videogame badge, other badges ask 'Really?'
Yes, really. The Boy Scouts of America have finally recognized that most important of modern children's pastimes with the creation of a "Video Games" belt loop and pin. However, our initial excitement on this momentous day is drastically lessened after reading how one goes about earning them. Here are the belt loop's three requirements: Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age. With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule. Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher. To go on and earn the pin, Scouts will need to teach adults how to play videogames, participate in a family gaming tournament, and learn how to comparison shop for prices. In other words, the Boy Scouts aren't interested in how many digits you have in your Gamerscore, don't care how stuffed your Trophy Room is, and shun your techniques for surviving the latest Trials HD expansion. We, however, are all ears. Update: We're getting a number of e-mails upset that this post does not explicitly point out that these awards are for the Cub Scouts, not for the Boy Scouts. Mind you, the Cub Scouts are most definitely a part of the greater Boy Scouts of America organization, and anyone who knows anything about the BSA in the first place knows that pins and belt loops are exclusively for Cub Scouts. So, chill, yeah? Also, we're still waiting on that Trials HD advice -- we can't get 10 feet on those new Extreme levels without repeated faceplants.
