0:00:02 > 0:00:05"Computer science is the future." That's what they keep telling us,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07but what does the future look like?
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Learning to code gives us the power to get creative with
0:00:11 > 0:00:13programming and digital technology
0:00:13 > 0:00:15and the possibilities are endless.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17You can make your own apps,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19programmes, systems, networks, everything.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Rather than just using computers and software,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24we can programme them to work for us
0:00:24 > 0:00:27and mould them to do exactly what we want.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30It's really a means of creative expression in itself
0:00:30 > 0:00:33cos you get to, sort of, say, "This is how I think the world works."
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I'm Chloe Watts. I'm a coder
0:00:41 > 0:00:43and a fashion technologist.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46We are living in an exciting time. Digital industries are booming
0:00:46 > 0:00:50and the next generation of coders are needed.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Technology, now more than ever, equals power!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And I'm off to go see some pretty powerful coders.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57CHEERING
0:00:57 > 0:00:59DANCE MUSIC
0:00:59 > 0:01:01My first stop is to meet a musician who's merging
0:01:01 > 0:01:05the worlds of music and technology, with some interesting results.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18I'm at The Arches in Glasgow. It's a music gig with a difference.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Apparently, we'll be dancing to code!
0:01:20 > 0:01:23HE BEATBOXES
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Beardyman is as big as it gets in the world of beatboxing.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29From Proms performances...
0:01:31 > 0:01:33..to appearances on tracks
0:01:33 > 0:01:35with the legendary Fatboy Slim.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39MUSIC: "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat" by Fatboy Slim & Riva Starr
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And with over 40,000 Twitter followers and 12 million hits
0:01:44 > 0:01:48on his viral videos, he's a big hit on social media too.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56So I started as a beatboxer and I won a couple of UK championships.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00I wasn't satisfied with that cos I thought,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02"That's beatboxing, that's good, but it's been done,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05"and it's been done really well. I want to do something different."
0:02:05 > 0:02:08So I wanted to manipulate my voice and turn it into anything
0:02:08 > 0:02:10I could imagine and build up hugely layered
0:02:10 > 0:02:14and complex pieces that sound exactly like dance music.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18And that's where the code comes in. Beardyman has masterminded
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and developed a music system which manipulates his voice
0:02:21 > 0:02:25however he wants and in real time.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I have invented a thing.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31It's a system that allows you to make music
0:02:31 > 0:02:34as fast as you can think of it. Or almost as fast.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37It's the fastest music creation system that there is.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44It's called the Beardytron 5000 Mark II S.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49It enables me to make live dance music, just using my voice.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57To try and meet the challenge of being able to make music live
0:02:57 > 0:02:59on the spot just from my mouth,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and to have all these complicated things happen to it
0:03:02 > 0:03:04that turn it into live dance music,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07that's not easy.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So how does the Beardytron work?
0:03:10 > 0:03:14The sounds from his voice are input through a microphone,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16captured as audio samples
0:03:16 > 0:03:21and stored as binary numbers, thousands of numbers per second.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25He then uses tablets, MIDI keyboards and bespoke software to process
0:03:25 > 0:03:29these samples, turning them into any sound he wants.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30This one is a kind of...
0:03:30 > 0:03:31Ooh!
0:03:31 > 0:03:32AUTOMATED BEEPING
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It's pretty crazy, isn't it?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36- SHE LAUGHS - It's one of them.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39'Beardyman can then use the Beardytron to build up
0:03:39 > 0:03:44'layers of samples to create complex dance music at incredible speed.'
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- So, can I have a go?- Yes, you may.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- Amazing. - So, if you shout something like,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53"My name is Chloe and I am alive," really loud. Really loud.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- SHE SHOUTS:- My name is Chloe and I am alive!
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I like that, it was positive.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Thank you. - HE PLAYS RECORDING
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I can't imagine my voice sounding like that.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04HE MANIPULATES THE RECORDING
0:04:07 > 0:04:10HE ADDS A BEAT
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Wow! I can't believe it's transformed like that.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17It's all code.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20FAST DANCE REMIX
0:04:20 > 0:04:23It's just pure maths.
0:04:23 > 0:04:24It's so complicated.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29'Rather than wait for others to come up with the software
0:04:29 > 0:04:30'to make the music he wants,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33'Beardyman's computing knowledge has allowed him to create
0:04:33 > 0:04:35'a bespoke system that works for him.'
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I did Computing A-level, so I've got just enough coding knowledge
0:04:40 > 0:04:43to be able to understand the structure of the programme.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45I've worked with about five or six
0:04:45 > 0:04:50of the most incredibly intelligent coding geniuses that there are,
0:04:50 > 0:04:51and they've built this thing for me.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53And it's been really fun,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56because there's been a lot of challenges,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58but we've surmounted them all.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01There's no bugs in it at the moment, it's just rock solid,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03and it does what I want it to do.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08HE MANIPULATES HIS OWN VOICE
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Well, the Beardytron seems to be behaving here in Glasgow.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17The crowd are going wild for Beardyman's vocal beats.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19CROWD CHEER
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I think what coders do is incredible
0:05:30 > 0:05:33because it's so vital to the way we live nowadays.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Everything is code now. There's no products any more.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39There's just smartphones, and tablets, and computers.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40And all of the products we use
0:05:40 > 0:05:43are just functions of these existing devices.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Everyone has to learn how to code,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and you can make your own apps, programmes, systems,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52networks, everything. We can create the world now.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59The gaming industry is big business and, if games development
0:05:59 > 0:06:01is your passion, then the UK is the place to be.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04We have the biggest developer base in Europe,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08with 48 of the world's top 100 development studios.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11One in three of us describe ourselves as gamers.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14That's a lot of people to design games for
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and a huge amount of code to write!
0:06:16 > 0:06:19I'm on my way to BAFTA, where they promote
0:06:19 > 0:06:20and develop moving art forms.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I'm about to meet a games developer who they've got their eye on.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Mitu Khandaker has created her first computer game.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Named as one of BAFTA's Breakthrough Brits for 2013,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Mitu is certainly one to watch.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I first got into coding, actually,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41when I was about 10 or 11 years old.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I decided I wanted to make my own websites for my favourite TV shows
0:06:44 > 0:06:46so I basically just went about
0:06:46 > 0:06:49teaching myself HTML coding,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52completely from scratch. So I opened up a text editor,
0:06:52 > 0:06:57typed some code and, obviously, saw it turn into this website.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01And I just got hooked on the magic of that, of typing code
0:07:01 > 0:07:04into a computer and have it turn into this thing
0:07:04 > 0:07:05that people can interact with.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10It was around that same time that I realised there were people
0:07:10 > 0:07:12who made video games as a living.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Like, I'd been a fan of video games since I was really tiny.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Together with realising that coding was a thing that I could do,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22it all sort of came together for me,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and I knew that what I really wanted to do was be a game developer.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27'Welcome to the future.'
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Mitu's first game was launched in November 2013.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Redshirt is not just any old game.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39It's a comedy sci-fi social media simulation game, I think!
0:07:39 > 0:07:42So, these guys are playing your game. Talk us through it.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47So, it's set on this future sci-fi space station and you create
0:07:47 > 0:07:50a character, so there's someone creating a character just here.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53You get to customise them however you like.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57There's lots of different personality attributes
0:07:57 > 0:07:58that characters can have.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02They can be sociable, they can be charismatic.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04There's 12 different attributes in total.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08So, as you can imagine, a combination of those different ones
0:08:08 > 0:08:11can result in these very different seeming characters.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16And then you start your job as a total nobody on this space station,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19where everybody uses this thing called Spacebook.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21It's really a game based around the social interactions
0:08:21 > 0:08:26that you, the player, have with these computer-driven characters.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29So, for example, if you send a friend request to somebody,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33that character, effectively, will think for themselves.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36So, they'll have their own decision-making process.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39An algorithm, as it were, as to whether or not
0:08:39 > 0:08:42they want to accept your friend request.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Mitu's programme is made up of lots of algorithms.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47An algorithm is a precise set of instructions
0:08:47 > 0:08:51that tells the computer exactly how to carry out a task.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Code is the language we use to create an algorithm.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58The recipe to follow to get the job done.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01The really cool thing about algorisms is that
0:09:01 > 0:09:05because you're breaking an abstract concept down into different steps,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08there's a lot of potential for really expressing
0:09:08 > 0:09:10how you think a particular thing works.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15So, for example, in this game, I've given a particular version
0:09:15 > 0:09:18of how somebody accepting a friend request might work,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22but that may not be one that you agree with. So, basically,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24the way you express yourself through an algorithm
0:09:24 > 0:09:27can say a lot about how you think.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Or even, it might be an idea that you don't necessarily agree with.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34It's really a means of creative expression in itself
0:09:34 > 0:09:36cos you get to sort of say, "This is how I think the world works."
0:09:36 > 0:09:40It's great to meet someone who sees coding as an art form
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and a means of expression. She's inspired me to keep creating.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I think it's really valuable for people to really understand
0:09:48 > 0:09:52how code works and what value it can have in their lives.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56In the same way that people should have access to
0:09:56 > 0:09:58learning how to write poems or books,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and take photographs and draw pictures,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03you should be able to learn to code as well,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05so you can express yourself in that way.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09'You, too, will experience high levels of satisfaction.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Computer science is everywhere.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19From the hardware in our pockets to our desktop computers.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22In the games we play, the art we see,
0:10:22 > 0:10:23the music we hear,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26and even the clothes we wear.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Imagine you have an app where you just literally press two buttons,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and the GPS finds your location.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I'm at Startup Hackathon, where fashion technologists like me
0:10:36 > 0:10:39are coming up with amazing ideas to shape our industry.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I'm really excited to be here.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43From coders to designers,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47professionals from all areas of the fashion industry are here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Tonight's theme is Wearable Tech.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51APPLAUSE
0:10:51 > 0:10:55The industry creatives are discussing ideas from fashion apps
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and software to GPS clothing to help locate your friends.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02It's a chance to let their imaginations run wild
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and inspire each other to create the wearable tech of the future.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08The way we make, market,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and consume clothing is changing. The lines have blurred between
0:11:11 > 0:11:14traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers
0:11:14 > 0:11:15and shopping on the web.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Over the summer of 2013,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23more than £347 million was invested in fashion tech start-ups!
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Wearable tech is big business, with consumers buying items
0:11:29 > 0:11:31from intelligent watches
0:11:31 > 0:11:33to 3D printed garments,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35and even tweeting dresses!
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I'm off to see one of the industry's rising stars
0:11:42 > 0:11:44at his digital fashion studio.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Or fashion laboratory,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49as they call it here at Studio XO in North London.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Behind these walls are top-secret designs
0:11:51 > 0:11:55for some of the most ground-breaking clothing creations.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57I wonder if anything will fit me?
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Benjamin Males fuses
0:12:00 > 0:12:02computer programming
0:12:02 > 0:12:04with fashion design.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06He develops technology to create wearable applications
0:12:06 > 0:12:08or digital clothes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10So what do we have here?
0:12:10 > 0:12:11These are trainers that we built
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- for a boyband, JLS. You might have heard of them.- Wow, amazing!
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- Yep, I've heard of them.- There's a lot of green and white LEDs -
0:12:18 > 0:12:20light-emitting diodes.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23We built these as part of a tour that the boys did
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- "the boys," as we call them -
0:12:26 > 0:12:30did last year. We also built some light-up suits of armour as well.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33They really wanted us to make them kind of glow
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and to animate with the music, to really become part of the stage.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So they're dancing, but their clothes are dancing and animating as well.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42So how was it actually made?
0:12:42 > 0:12:44The circuit boards in the trainers are actually flexible,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48so if you're going to wear it, you can't have anything too rigid.
0:12:48 > 0:12:49The electronics themselves are...
0:12:49 > 0:12:51they're not intelligent.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54You see here, this is an integrated circuit chip,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and this is the micro controller, so this is like the brain.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00And that brain is told how to do certain things,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04so it gives it a personality. You tell the LEDs to flash or to go dark,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and they wanted the trainers to light up
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- and synchronise with the music. - It synchronises with the music?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- It synchronises with the music. - Wow, amazing.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14So clearly, this isn't just any old fashion house.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Technology and computing are at the heart of everything they create.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21We have all kinds of people working with us.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26We have fashion designers and fabricators and tailors,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28working alongside coders and engineers.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31We have electronic engineers and mechanical engineers,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and also scientists as well.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36One of the things that fashion technology and wearable technology
0:13:36 > 0:13:38can do is create surprise.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43With the JLS trainers, when they come on, it's a moment of wow factor.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48I think with everything we build, we use technology to create that.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52In 2013, Studio XO were commissioned to create a dress
0:13:52 > 0:13:55for none other than Lady Gaga.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Thank you so much for coming here tonight.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03I wanted to, for the first time ever, introduce you to...
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Volantis.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:14:08 > 0:14:12We worked with the world's best technicians, or engineers,
0:14:12 > 0:14:17in that field, and working with our hybrid team of designers
0:14:17 > 0:14:19and engineers here in Studio XO, we were able to turn
0:14:19 > 0:14:22some of their technology into something that was wearable.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Do you have any questions, or do you want to see her fly?
0:14:26 > 0:14:28AUDIENCE: Fly!
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Known for her quirky style,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Lady Gaga has certainly embraced fashion technology.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46And this project enabled Studio XO to take their vision
0:14:46 > 0:14:49of wearable electronics to the next level.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58Benjamin and his technical team worked closely with drone experts.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01They used state-of-the-art technology to create Volantis,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04a garment which sits somewhere between a dress
0:15:04 > 0:15:05and a flying machine.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15So what's the future for wearable tech?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18I think the future for wearable tech is quite an exciting future.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Just in the last two years, we've gone from building
0:15:21 > 0:15:24light-up sneakers to building flying dresses.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27What we're doing at Studio XO is, we're paving the way
0:15:27 > 0:15:30for a future where, who knows, maybe we wake up in the morning
0:15:30 > 0:15:34we put our intelligent T-shirt on, and we're coding our T-shirt
0:15:34 > 0:15:37to choose which design we want.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40And that's the future that we imagine.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45The games industry has evolved in recent years.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49There's more of an emphasis on creating and sharing games content
0:15:49 > 0:15:50than ever before.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Coders, designers, and gamers of all levels can now work together online.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59The line between a player and a game designer has blurred.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02There's now even more opportunities to work in games design,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and I'm about to meet someone who's doing just that.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09John Beech hasn't always
0:16:09 > 0:16:11worked in the industry.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15In fact, five years ago, he was a builder. Gaming was just a hobby.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Hammering nails through the day and keyboards by night,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22John spent long hours building virtual worlds,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24and his hard work eventually paid off.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Never in my wildest dreams, ever, honestly,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31did I ever imagine I'd end up here, and every day, I pinch myself.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35John landed his dream job in international gaming company
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Media Molecule.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Their game, Little Big Planet, allows users to create content
0:16:40 > 0:16:42and share it online.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Can you explain to me how the game actually works?
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Yeah, sure. Basically, it's a game where, not only can you play it,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50you can make other games in it.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53It's a creation suite, as well as being a game.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55That's awesome, that means it's endless.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56It's endless, yeah. At last count,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00- there was eight million levels that people had published online.- Whoa.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Online games are radically changing the gaming industry,
0:17:04 > 0:17:05with social networking
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and user-generated content leading the way.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11This is good news for those interested in games design,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13as it's easier than ever to create
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and share your content with an online community.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19And it was publishing this level that got John noticed.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22So this is the level you designed to get your job here.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Yeah, the guys here, the other designers, the other coders,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29everyone had seen it and thought, "Wow, I don't know how he did
0:17:29 > 0:17:31"some of the things he did in our own game,"
0:17:31 > 0:17:33cos I was kind of bending the rules.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- Sweet! I really want to play it. Can I?- Of course you can.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- We'll load it up.- OK.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- Here's your character.- Awesome.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42We've got to go this way
0:17:42 > 0:17:45and we've got to try and infiltrate the enemy base.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47OK.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49'More and more games incorporate mechanics
0:17:49 > 0:17:50'for creating content these days.'
0:17:50 > 0:17:52And...jump! Oh, no!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- No, I died! - That's OK, you come back in a second.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58'This is done using programming scripts and game logic.'
0:17:58 > 0:18:01It's kind of like a simplified version of code,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03where you can get certain things to happen.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04So, say you press a switch,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08a door opens. So, in this case here, we've got a barricade
0:18:08 > 0:18:12and I've set up a simple bit of logic onto it - a script,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16if you will - and when I shoot it, it's designed to explode all of this.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- Kablammo!- Can you show me some of the scripting?
0:18:20 > 0:18:22We'll just load it up. Here we go.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23So I've made a small,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25mini bit of a level. You can imagine, in a game,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27this would be a door we had to get through.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30'These mechanics allow you to edit the game using visual graphics,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32'rather than writing lines of code.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Each line of code, or multiple lines of code,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38are represented by these individual little icons here.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39So we've got this button
0:18:39 > 0:18:40and, as you can see,
0:18:40 > 0:18:41when I jump on the button,
0:18:41 > 0:18:42the door opens,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and if I jump on the button again,
0:18:44 > 0:18:45the door shuts.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48That's quite a lot going on for just one door opening.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Ah, yes, it is, but if you think that
0:18:50 > 0:18:52each one of these components
0:18:52 > 0:18:55would actually be a couple of hundred lines of code,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59but the coders have simplified it down, so I can combine them.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Scripting is all about making fun games,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03as opposed to staring at a TV screen for ages.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07And once you've got your head around this, this teaches you
0:19:07 > 0:19:10how basic logic works, how "if" and "and" statements work.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Once you've learnt this, the step up to coding is far easier than
0:19:13 > 0:19:15if you've had no experience at all.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17So it's a really big team effort, then?
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Yeah, it's a huge team effort.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Without the coders, the designers couldn't make a game,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and without the designers, the coders wouldn't be able
0:19:24 > 0:19:26to make the game themselves, either.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29So you combine forces and you make a really good game,
0:19:29 > 0:19:30at the end of the day.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- Oh!- Oh, no! We've died!
0:19:33 > 0:19:37'John's design success has inspired him to learn to code.'
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I've actually decided to start teaching myself real code,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44base-level code, because that will take me to the next level
0:19:44 > 0:19:47of game design, cos I will no longer be dependent on other people.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I can make my own games from start to finish
0:19:50 > 0:19:51and do it exactly how I want,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- which is super-important to me. - Have you been enjoying it?
0:19:54 > 0:19:57I've been really enjoying it, yeah. It's a lot more fun than you think
0:19:57 > 0:20:00cos, initially, you think, "Oh, no, it's kind of typing, and maths,"
0:20:00 > 0:20:04but once you get into it and you start realising the possibilities,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07it's more like having tonnes of Lego in front of you and thinking,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10"What can I build out of this?" And you put all the components together
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and you've got some kind of amazing rocket ship
0:20:13 > 0:20:16or giant dragon with wings. Whatever you want to make, you can do.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Coders like me can spend long hours
0:20:23 > 0:20:25in front of the computer screen.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But coding's not all about being stuck indoors.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I just wanted to bring it bigger, you know.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Bigger and outside.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Seb Lee-Delisle is a coder and visual artist.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39He merges both of these worlds by bringing coding outdoors
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and creating huge art installations
0:20:42 > 0:20:44for the public to interact with.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I'm in Huddersfield, at the Festival of Light,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50to check out Seb's digital interactive firework display.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52So what's going on here today?
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Well, this is PixelPyros.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56We're using massive projectors
0:20:56 > 0:20:57and a really big laser
0:20:57 > 0:20:58connected to computers
0:20:58 > 0:21:01to create this fireworks display.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05And every firework is triggered using a motion-detection system
0:21:05 > 0:21:08by members of the audience, that's what triggers the fireworks.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10The motion-detection system
0:21:10 > 0:21:13is made up of 30 infrared lights and a camera.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17When one of the lights is blocked, motion is detected.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22The information it gathers is input into the PixelPyros programme
0:21:22 > 0:21:24on Seb's laptop, manipulated using code,
0:21:24 > 0:21:30and projected onto a huge 80-metre screen, with spectacular results.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It's really exciting to be able to teach the computer
0:21:33 > 0:21:36how to make these patterns and fireworks.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37Hundreds of people all here,
0:21:37 > 0:21:43interacting with computer code, with this technical system.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46So how does it work?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49There's a lot stuff here that we're doing. We're manipulating
0:21:49 > 0:21:52camera images, we're trying to read bits of the camera image
0:21:52 > 0:21:54to see where there's motion.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59That's all quite complicated stuff. It's all written in C++,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02which is... Well, I work in lots of different languages
0:22:02 > 0:22:04and C++ is probably the hardest.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Seb has decided to share his code on an open-source platform.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Open-source communities are formed
0:22:12 > 0:22:15when coders come together to share their work online.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18It's something that's really important to me.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20All of my projects are open source.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23If you wanted to, you could download this PixelPyros app for yourself.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- Amazing.- In reality, I'm not sure if anyone could
0:22:27 > 0:22:29take it and make their own PixelPyros,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32but they could at least learn from it and see how I've done some of it.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Yeah, it's a really important part of what I do
0:22:35 > 0:22:39because when you're a coder, or an artist, or both, like me,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42the tendency is, when you make something, when you work on it
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and invest time in it, is to sort of keep it closed to yourself.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47To me, in a way, it's better to just give it away
0:22:47 > 0:22:48and say, "Here it is."
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Making your code open source means that anyone can access it
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and pick up where you left off.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58This collaborative approach means programmers can adapt
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and improve existing code, and share their changes within the community.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Seb's works proves that there's more to what coders do
0:23:08 > 0:23:12than just writing computer commands. Both his creativity
0:23:12 > 0:23:16and his coding skills are going down a storm here tonight.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Certainly for me, as a creative person, it's really important
0:23:20 > 0:23:22that more creative people learn to programme,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25rather than just the engineers and the mathematicians because
0:23:25 > 0:23:29there's so much creative potential with this technology,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31and the new technology that's coming out all the time
0:23:31 > 0:23:34that it's just going to be really exciting.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35The kids that are learning now
0:23:35 > 0:23:38are going to be the ones that do stuff 20 times better than this
0:23:38 > 0:23:40in 20 years' time, you know?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Seb's brought code to the people.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02It just shows what we can achieve. This is spectacular!
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Learning to code is just the beginning.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Gaining an understanding of how computers work
0:24:08 > 0:24:11means we'll be able to invent our own programmes
0:24:11 > 0:24:13and programming languages in the future
0:24:13 > 0:24:16to create things we can't even imagine yet.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Whether your passion is gaming or music, art, fashion or design,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24you can take your expertise in any direction you want.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26The possibilities are endless.