Ilya admits that he became interested in creating video games a few years ago. He decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, who works as a software engineer.

Ilya created his first games using the Scratch programming language. Its distinctive feature is that the code is not written from scratch but assembled from building blocks. This allows the programmer to add characters, change backgrounds, and modify other parameters.

«I moved on to creating my first independent game, Energy Quest, as soon as I started working in Unity. By playing it, people learn about environmental care and proper waste sorting. It’s a quiz‑style game where you answer questions,» the teenager explained. «This game is primarily designed for first‑ and second‑graders — at that age, it’s easy to remember the rules, and they’ll stay with you for life.»

Ilya’s second game, The World of Four Signs, is a medieval fantasy game. The player follows a storyline, progressing by solving various tasks, for example, calculating 0.3 and 0.04 and choosing the correct answer from the options provided.

To make game development easier, Ilya has also learned to use neural networks. «There are several ways to create graphics for games: drawing them yourself, finding an artist to collaborate with, or using neural networks. The first two options weren’t really suitable for me, so I had to master the last one. As a result, all the graphics in my games are created with the help of artificial intelligence,» the student explained, adding that his father helps him with everything.

Ilya Levin has successfully presented his games at exhibitions such as Unicon & GameExpo, TIBO, and Dark Matters.

Ilya Levin is a hero of our project Belarusians in Focus. We spoke with the seventh‑grader about how, at such a young age, he mastered the basics of programming and created educational video games. We also discussed artificial intelligence and his participation in exhibitions.