WORCESTER, Mass. - Future video game developers at WPI faced off with some of the industry’s toughest critics on Tuesday.

A group of fifth graders from Elm Park Community School stopped by on Tuesday morning to play test video games being developed by the MassDigi Summer Innovation Program. 

The annual program brings students from all over the United States to Worcester. It’s a 12-week paid internship program where teams of college students complete games and prepare them for launch.  The program’s interns are developing four different games this summer. 

MassDigi says there is one main reason they chose fifth graders to give the games a test drive. 

“Honesty, that’s why. Grown ups when they test games often say really nice things but they aren’t quite as critical as a fifth grader can be and that’s important in the early development process,” Tim Loew, MassDigi executive director, said. “We appreciate the honesty and fifth graders are certainly honest, that’s for sure.​”

Interns in the MassDigi program represent 12 colleges and universities from across the country. 

The program started at Becker College 11 years ago and moved to WPI when Becker closed last year.