2020 Internship

PoNG Internship Showcase Event

The PoNG Center created a skill-building internship model designed to expand access to jobs in the technology sector for adults on the Autism Spectrum. In the past 8 weeks, our interns developed research-based video games and practiced work-place soft skills. Watch the interns’ present their achievements down below!

Neurodiverse Internship Showcase

Neurodiversity in Tech Panel

Future of Work Project at UC San Diego

Autism spectrum disorders and related conditions affect at least 1 out of 59 individuals, cost $137 billion per year in the U.S., and result in a staggering unemployment rate for adults that have the cognitive skill and valuable creative talents that can contribute substantially to the technology workforce. The goal of this project is to develop training technology as well as a skill-building internship model to expand access to jobs in the technology sector for neurodiverse young adults.

This work is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#1928604).

Team Introduction

Each team includes a programmer, project manager, artist, tester, designer, and a coach.
The interns and coach worked together with their client to develop a game from concept to production.

Try out the games by clicking on the play button for each project.
Learn more about each intern by clicking on their name.

Card Quest

As a more challenging variant of the classic matching card game, Card Quest is a 2D Puzzle game where the player must move cards between two islands to the pattern on each island match.

Journey to the Kelp Forest

2D side-scroller that navigates the protagonist Plainfin Midshipman across different environments just outside of La Jolla Cove.

Hoyo Negro

“Hoyo Negro” is an underwater exploratory game where players navigate through the Hoyo Negro cave to find bones.

Feeding Frenzy

2D click-and-drag game based on projectile motion, with the player taking on the role of a chef attempting to toss food at monsters to keep them away through estimating the power and trajectory of the throw.

Fleischer Task

Based on the classic selective attention and executive control assessment called the Flanker Task, this gamified variant has an old-time cartoon theme.

Play Card Quest

Play Journey to the Kelp Forest

Play Hoyo Negro

Play Feeding Frenzy

Play Fleischer Task