We report on the implementation and evaluation of a three-year program to increase interest in studying computer science (CS) among African American male high school students. Over the course of 3 years, the Glitch Game Tester (Glitch) program employed 25 African American male high school students. These students tested pre-release digital games, full-time in the summer and part-time in the school year, with an hour of each day dedicated to learning introductory CS. Initially, only 20% of our participants expressed interest in pursing computing as a career. After Glitch, 65% have pursued some form of post-secondary computing studies. These outcomes, and the participants' enthusiasm for engaging in computing, are in sharp contrast to the crisis in African American male education and learning motivation. The research presented in this report discusses lessons learned through implementation of the Glitch program and higher education outcomes after graduation from the program.

Many young African American males have a passion for video games, but they don't often translate that passion into learning about computing. Part of the problem is that they do not identify with computing as a social norm within their peer group. This disidentification with computing can negatively impact academic performance and limit opportunities for upward mobility. We developed a job training program called Glitch Game Testers in which young African American men are trained to 'Sbreak open the black box' of their game consoles to learn about computing. Perceptions of peers' technical competency were measured before and after the summer 2010 program. Results showed that participants were more likely to view their peers as technical resources and their overall access to technical resources increased. Broader implications for motivating technology adoption in HCI are discussed.