May is going to be a very exciting month for high school student Aaron Ghosh as he will be travelling to Silicon Valley to pitch his game to notable Venture Capitalists. What's the game all about, you ask? He developed a 2D game inspired by none other than Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive by Pakistan for more than 60 hours. "My game is all about how Wing Commander Abhinandan was stuck and then how he escapes,” says the 13-year-old.
Aaron was born in Bhubaneswar and has switched cities every two to three years because his father is in the army. It was only last year that they came to Hyderabad. Currently, Aaron is studying at Army Public School, Golconda. Suffice it is to say that he has always been inspired by the army. He was one of the 12 kids selected for the EdTech start-up WhiteHat Jr's Silicon Valley Challenge. He was even put through a mentorship programme, after which, he emerged as the winner.
Aaron started developing this The Escape Game, in September 2019 and it took him about four months to perfect it. The game is all about ensuring that Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was shot down in enemy territory, shoots enemies and avoids land mines, which can decrease his health, to make it home. Though there is no end as such, the aim is to avoid obstacles, which keep getting more difficult as you move ahead — think convoy trucks and bombs. "There were many bugs in my game and I had to change my code again and again, to make it perfect," says Aaron who also hopes to develop a 3D version someday.
Aaron is a die-hard coding fan, "I feel I am at my best when I code," says Aaron with genuine delight. So he is really excited about his trip to Silicon Valley, especially to meet entrepreneurs and learn from them. "I want to understand how to code better and overcome difficulties," says the student who wants to be a software engineer or a game designer in the future.
Other winners of the challenge are:
- Hirranyaa Rajan: A seven-year-old who developed an app for hearing impaired people
- Agastya Singh Yadav: A 10-year-old developed an app that connects pet lovers
- Jishnu Baruah: A 16-year-old who developed an app to make school bags lighter
