The organization acknowledges the valuable social skills that can be learned by playing

games with others -- skills such as courtesy and sharing.

It also realizes that playing games can hone skills like logic and mathematics.

An official statement reads, quote: “Games motivate both young and old to find creative

solutions, practice new skills, and keep their brains active.”

To earn this merit badge, a Scout must analyze different types of games, describe their gameplay,

and explain why it has value. An understanding of the significance of intellectual property

will also be required.

Volunteers from the video game industry apparently contributed to the badge’s requirements

over a two-year period.

Ultimately, a Scout will have to design his own game and keep a design notebook. In the

notebook, he will describe the concepts of his game, iterate on the design, and solicit

feedback on the project.

Once the concept is approved, the Scout can even build a prototype of the game. The project

can be any type of game: a few examples include card game, board game, or smartphone app.

If they’d had this badge when I was a kid maybe I would have been a boy scout. Instead

of learning to tie knots, I was playing video games.

The Boy Scouts will introduce this new title at SXSW this weekend.

For more video game news, stay tuned to IGN.