Boy Scouts’ new merit badge requires designing and building a game

If you were to ask yourself which skills you would need to earn a Boy Scout merit badge, you might think of pitching a tent or building a fire. But how about designing a video game?

The Boy Scouts introduced their newest merit badge this month. The badge, which features playing cards, a chess piece and a video game controller, is called “Game Design.” To earn it, Scouts must analyze a game, work with players to come up with changes to the rules and then see how those changes affect the game. After that, a Scout must design, build and test a game of his own.

The Boy Scouts of America says that the merit badge is meant to “put creativity to the test” because “games motivate both young and old to find creative solutions, practice new skills and keep brains active.”

If you think this is the most unusual merit badge, think again. The Boy Scouts have more than 130 merit badges, including ones for chess, dentistry, plumbing and robotics.