Sole Play Gaming Hosts Black Girls Code ATL Summer Camp

By Renee Gardner

"She Won't Just Play The Game, She'll Build It." That line from Black Girls Code says the quiet part out loud, and for two weeks this summer, our Sole Play Gaming Lounge got to watch 60 young builders prove it.

Campers coding on laptops during the Black Girls Code summer camp at Sole Play Gaming

Sixty students, two classrooms, one room built for it

We had the pleasure of hosting Black Girls Code ATL for a two-week summer camp, and it stretched us in the best way. It was the first time we designed our space to hold 60 students across two separate classrooms, and we made it work. To level up the experience, we brought in a large Microsoft Surface Hub for each class, turning every lesson into something the campers could touch, move, and build on together.

The Sole Play Gaming Lounge set up with numbered stations and screens for the camp

Closing the gap in STEAM

Black Girls Code is doing the work of closing the gap in STEAM by creating spaces where learners feel seen, supported, and unstoppable. Over the two weeks, campers dug into game development, learned the craft from the inside, and then did the part that matters most. They showcased what they made to their families, their peers, and industry professionals.

That is the whole point. Not just playing the games, but building them. Not just visiting the industry, but stepping into it.

A Black Girls Code instructor leading a lesson on the big screen during the camp

Why we opened our doors

Hosting a camp like this is exactly what the Sole Play Gaming Lounge is built for, a place where gaming, technology, and community meet, and where the next generation of creators can see themselves in the work. Watching 60 students turn ideas into playable games, in our space, alongside a partner like Black Girls Code, is the kind of week we will be chasing for a long time.

Black Girls Code campers coding at laptops in the Sole Play Gaming Lounge

Learn more about the organization behind it at Black Girls Code.

See the moments

The energy in the room is worth seeing for yourself. Browse the full photo gallery from the two weeks right here.

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