Microsoft is putting together a heck of a team to get kids interested in coding, and the stars are LeBron James and Bugs Bunny.
The tech giant announced Monday that it’s partnering with Warner Bros. ahead of the release of the movie “Space Jam: A New Legacy” with the NBA star and cartoon icon. A coding-education campaign tied to the movie involves the search for submissions for ideas for an original Xbox arcade-style video game.
Two winners in the game search, which runs through Dec. 30, will have their ideas realized in a game available as a perk for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in 2021. The prize package will also include a virtual Microsoft coding workshop for their local community.
To get more kids coding, Microsoft Stores are hosting free virtual workshops themed around the movie and designed to teach video game creation. Students will build a playable prototype of a video game using block-based coding on the MakeCode Arcade platform, while learning about the professional skills and STEAM careers involved in game design, Microsoft said in a news release.
Two film-themed Microsoft Learn lessons will also target more experienced coders and older students, focusing on how to use player stats to make real-time decisions in the middle of a basketball game:
- Predict basketball player efficiency ratings by using machine learning and Visual Studio Code
- Use JavaScript, Azure, GitHub, and Visual Studio Code to write a web app that helps the Tune Squad
James, who just won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, is taking on the film role played by Michael Jordan in the original, 1996 version of “Space Jam.” He and Bugs Bunny promoted the new film in an Instagram post:
