Making Apps, Games

Become creators of technology. Ms Jiang wants other teens to dream big. "I want to build more communities like this, and let people know they can make whatever they want."

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HACKER CULTURE DRAWS TEENS Hackathons organised by university students have seen a noticeable increase in adolescent participation in recent years.

While teens are a minority at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) annual Hack&Roll event, the number of students from secondary school, polytechnic and junior college rose from 70 participants in 2024 to 90 in 2025. This is according to Mr Jonathan Loh, a computer science undergraduate and president of NUS Hackers, which promotes hacker culture.

Hack&Roll typically attracts hundreds of participants, most of whom are undergraduates.

Mr Loh says: "The initial driving force for this increased interest in building apps is its potential as a new career, as well as exposure to coding in primary and secondary school.

"But the people who come for the hackathons are less motivated by these institutional factors. It's about the fun of building apps. You can see they're doing it as a passion, especially if they start young."