North Polk Takes Gold at DCODE

This spring, North Polk’s Curly Brackets team brought home First Place in the Advanced (White Level) division of DMACC’s first-ever DCODE Computer Programming Contest!

Students across the region were challenged to reimagine the iconic ‘90s Tamagotchi toy, only this time, as a fully digital game. In addition to developing and coding their game from scratch, teams also created a marketing flyer to present their project’s concept, features, and appeal.

Curly Brackets team members, Robert Spencer, Ruth Turczynski, and Logan Bakken, stood out with their entry, Blobagatchi, a fun, endlessly playable pet-care game programmed in Java, compatible with any Java-capable computer. Players care for virtual blob pets by managing six key attributes: hunger, hygiene, energy, health, happiness, and weight. The team designed the game to be endless to keep it casual, accessible, and engaging.

What Can Blobagatchi Pets Do?

All pets in Blobagatchi can:

• Play

• Eat meals and treats

• Go on walks

• Train

• Take baths

• Visit the doctor

Choose Your Blob!

Players can pick from four blob types, each with its own twist:

• Basic Blob - Default game mode

• Cat Blob - Gets hungry faster and needs more sleep

• Dog Blob - Needs extra attention and loses happiness quickly

• Alien Blob - Attributes drain twice as fast and react more strongly to activities

The team’s coding, creative gameplay, and strong presentation earned top marks from judges, highlighting not just technical ability, but collaboration, problem-solving, and great communication.

Way to go, Curly Brackets!