Nexon attracts youngsters through coding contest
Nexon’s coding contest offers a new paradigm in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The nation’s leading online game company successfully completed the four-month-long Nexon Youth Programming Challenge (NYPC) last week.
The Pangyo-based firm inaugurated the event last year as part of efforts to make coding more appealing to students, drawing more than 2,500 participants at the time.
This year, the number of students nearly doubled as more than 4,500 took part.
The growing interest came as the government plans to make software education mandatory in middle schools starting next year and expand it to elementary schools the following year.
“The NYPC gained recognition for helping students get a good grasp on computer programming and offering a venue allowing them to experience it,” a Nexon official said.
In addition, this year’s contest was divided into two age groups in the qualifying round to provide more opportunities to young coders in line with the firm’s CSR slogan that focuses on youth.
“The NYPC offers creative questions, into which we could not run at other coding contests and that is appealing,” said Kim Hyun-soo of Gyeonggi Science High School, who won the grand prize in the final round.
“Those who enjoy coding and reflect extensively on every possible occasion rather than studying a specific type of computer programming perform better at the NYPC.”
As part of the NYPC, Nexon also hosted a talk Aug. 8, which invited high-profile computer programmers who gave lectures and career counseling to the next generation of programmers. The event drew rave reviews as it enabled young coders to meet with successful mentors and receive emotional and psychological support.
The NYPC thrust itself into the limelight, as the annual coding contest led participating students to donate to African children in need.
In partnership with Save the Children, an international organization helping to end child poverty globally, Nexon included some questions in the final round and the game publisher donated caps for children in Africa in the name of the answerers.
The nonprofit body has pursued the hat-knitting campaign for infants in developing companies.
In addition, Nexon held a workshop with prize winners of the inaugural event to receive feedback on the coding contest.