Gaming, hanging out with friends, and programming are just some of the hobbies of 14- year-old Stephen Barnes.  This Jersey-born Athens freshman spends a lot of free time playing video games. He often plays video games either by himself or with his friends on the weekends.  Sometimes they even join tournaments.

“My favorite game is Counter Strike Global.  It’s all about competitive shooting,” said Barnes.

Although he enjoys the rush of these violent video games, computer programming is what he loves to do.  Programming is the process that leads from an original formulation of a computing problem to executable computer programs.  Stephen began programming when he was only 10 years old.

“I started out just playing Minecraft.  My dad is a freelance programmer so he really gave me a kick start and helped me into the world of programming,” explained Barnes.

In order to be an efficient programmer, it is important to have knowledge of many other subjects.  Being able to understand and generate algorithms is essential in the coding process.

“All of my math classes I have taken along the years have really helped me as I code,” said Barnes.

Stephen explained that in the beginning, programming was very difficult. Although it has become easier along the road, the programming codes become more and more challenging.  The more advanced the programming gets, the more he can do.

Making modifications, or “mods,” by building entire new features to Minecraft is his favorite activities to do.  With these mods you can do new moves  like create portals into other dimensions into the game.  Barnes’ proudest accomplishment has been releasing his own mod to Minecraft.

“It’s actually really cool.  People around the world can actually download a mod that I programmed myself into the game.  It’s awesome knowing that people are able to enjoy something that I had a lot of fun making,” said Barnes.