Some parents may wonder what the benefits could be of their child joining an after-school coding club, but the example of one record-breaking youngster could provide all the inspiration needed.

Max, an 11-year-old from Glamorgan, has just entered the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest boy in the world to design a video game.

He began coding four years ago at the age of seven and has already published several games. Max wrote to the Guinness Book of Records to establish if he was the youngest to do so, and, after a six-month wait, his status has been confirmed.

Speaking about his record, Max told the BBC: “It feels amazing. It was always on my bucket list. And I thought if I could get it done now, for the youngest one, that would be really good.”

He went on to describe the game he had created for his successful record attempt, called Gravity Parkour 2.0, which he said was “quite addictive,” because when players fail to beat a level, their immediate reaction will be to realise what they did wrong and try again.

How Can Coding Benefit Lots Of Children, Not Just Record-Breakers?

Of course, not every child will become a record breaker in the way Max has, but that is no reason not to have them learn to code, any more than you would not let them do sport because they might not go on to play for England.

The benefits of learning coding can lead to direct jobs in tech, as well as being a useful skill to have for those seeking to pursue STEM subjects at school and, potentially, careers in these fields beyond that.

Among other coders who have been recognised for their achievements at a young age by the Guinness Book of Records is Rayyan Siddiqui from Vancouver in Canada.

He started coding at nine, joined Microsoft as an intern at 14 and became the youngest male to be employed as a software engineer when he took up a job with the tech giant at the age of 16 years and 340 days.