Kids don’t just play video games  anymore – they make them!  The winners of the 2012 National STEM Video Game Challenge were recently announced in Washington, D.C. Inspired by President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate Campaign,” the competition seeks to motivate interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games.  “Well-designed video games can help students excel in STEM and have fun doing it”, said Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Twenty-eight middle school and high school students from across the country were selected as winners for their original game designs.  In addition, two winners were awarded in the Collegiate category and three in the Educator category. Game highlights for the winners can be found online.