A Birmingham-based television company has captured footage of West Midland children designing their own computer games using revolutionary new software.


Maverick TV filmed the children from St Mary’s CofE  primary school in Albrighton and Queensbridge Secondary School in Moseley using the Scratch programme.


Designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA, Scratch deploys simple drag and drop shapes to help to write complex computer programmes.


Ten-year-old pupils at St Mary’s designed games to help develop basic computer skills for Reception class children, with the five-year-olds then helping to test and refine the games.


Pupils at Queensbridge School uploaded their Scratch games on to the Internet where young people as far away as India and Russia have been trying them out and sharing their views by blogging.


 The film for ideasforlife.tv, a Birmingham Science City project showcasing new science projects in the region, also features an interview with Mitch Resnick from the MIT.


 Mr Resnick said he developed Scratch to help children to manipulate media in new ways and he wanted to make sure that “kids were creating things as part of a community and that they could share their projects and learn from one another.


 “Young people will grow up being able to design and create will all forms of interactive media to get their voices out to the world,” he added.