It’s a proved fact that love for technologies begins in childhood. Today students go to school with smartphones and do their homework on tablets.
There are many teenagers in Armenia now, who not only use smartphones and tablets but also try to create something on their own - a game, an app or a program.
Itel.am begins a new series, presenting Armenian teenagers who’ve been interested in technologies since early childhood and create products in this industry.
16-year-old Artavazd Hovakimyan is from Yerevan. He does game programming at Tumo Center.
Technologies make you think
I had my first experience in gaming in February 2014, when I made a game in a team of 5 people at the gaming workshop.
I participated in Tumo Game Development Competition in December 2014. Our team of 4 people developed a game with Unreal Engine 4. The latter is currently one of the most powerful engines, was in beta version that time. True, we didn’t win the competition, but it was an important experience. You need large sums to release games made with Unreal Engine 4.
Artavazd Hovakimyan
Technologies make you think. I took part in some other gaming workshops and developed products.
Our Game Engine team also won the Hackathon [Yan] Childhood 2015 competition.
New projects
I’m working on a big project now, we’re going to finish it by ourselves. It’s a space- themed game for Android devices. We intend to present the game in about 2 months.
I’ve known for 4 years now that this is what I want to do it life. I’m not interested in other spheres.
I’m simultaneously studying at the College of National Polytechnic University of Armenia and at general school now. I’m doing great at the college and well at school. I mostly like the technical subjects. 
Artavazd Hovakimyan
My classmates know that I develop games, and they support me, even encourage me to work on another game. They tell me to finish it soon, as they want to see the result - a game I created.
I want to learn everything on my own
I have no doubts about the choice of profession. I’ll specialize in programming and game development. I want to learn it all by myself. I also want to continue my education abroad. I’d like to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
My parents approve of my choice of profession. They used to tell me to choose what I liked, and now they just want me to spend less time at the computer.
Artavazd Hovakimyan
You have to always experiment by yourself
To become a good programmer you have to “learn on your own” without listening to what you’re told in colleges and universities. You have to turn off the nerves and spend a lot of time on your profession. You need to experiment by yourself all the time…
If you make a goal for yourself, you achieve it and make another one, and so one. I live for myself and develop what I created myself.
Blitz questions
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- In a company that does game development. In what country exactly will depend on where that company’s headquarters is located.
- What would you prefer doing- playing football in the street or a computer game at home?
- A computer game at home, for instance, my favourite Battlefield. By the way, I played in the street a lot when I was very young, not so much now.
- Imagine computers and smartphones disappeared from the face of the Earth. What would you do?
- Game consoles are still here, right? If not, I would build everything with my own hands.
- What would you spend your first million on?
- I’d buy a “Mustang” car, a great house at the beach and a nice game room.
- A vacation in the Silicon Valley or on the Maldives?
- Maldives, if there’s good internet and a computer (laughs - edit.).
- What famous IT person would you like to dine with?
- I’d take Microsoft founder Bill Gates to a restaurant of my choosing and order something interesting, for example, Japanese cuisine. I’d try to convince him to invest in my project.
Narine Daneghyan
Photos by Emin Aristakesyan
