Teaching kids through Game Design
I recently got the opportunity to talk at one of the local schools, Hottentots Holland High, here in Somerset. It was a power talk of sorts about why games are important, what you need to create them and how you can start making them right now.
I'm going to be presenting a "game design course" at the school every Wednesday at 2:00pm for the next 3 months or so. The classes should last around 1-2 hours, though I'll take my queue from the students. It will basically be mini mini jams where I assist kids in making games, mostly board and card games at first. My main goal is to show the students the relevance of things like mathematics, science and proper use of language, by showing how all these things are used in the creation of games. Hopefully we might even see some of our future game designer come from groups like these.
There was a really good initial response from the students, and about 30 came up to chat with me after assembly, though I expect this number to dwindle as hype wanes. I am nevertheless hopeful :)
First class will be:
4 May 2016
2:00
HHH, Library, Col Mustard, Lead Pipe
Anyone who is in the area, and would like to come say hi is more than welcome. I'd love to introduce them to other professionals in the industry.
I'll be updating this thread with all the cool things that gets made.
I'm going to be presenting a "game design course" at the school every Wednesday at 2:00pm for the next 3 months or so. The classes should last around 1-2 hours, though I'll take my queue from the students. It will basically be mini mini jams where I assist kids in making games, mostly board and card games at first. My main goal is to show the students the relevance of things like mathematics, science and proper use of language, by showing how all these things are used in the creation of games. Hopefully we might even see some of our future game designer come from groups like these.
There was a really good initial response from the students, and about 30 came up to chat with me after assembly, though I expect this number to dwindle as hype wanes. I am nevertheless hopeful :)
First class will be:
4 May 2016
2:00
HHH, Library, Col Mustard, Lead Pipe
Anyone who is in the area, and would like to come say hi is more than welcome. I'd love to introduce them to other professionals in the industry.
I'll be updating this thread with all the cool things that gets made.
Comments
Must be exciting taking on a mentoring/teaching role and sharing some of your knowledge? Hope the kids are receptive and excited about this!
Good Luck
I tried to keep it simple. I had everyone circle around and we quickly (10 min) made a simple board game. I had no sooner finished drawing the boarder when the first suggestions started flying in. With ideas incorporated, we tested with a quick play through, after which we discussed what seemed to work and what didn't, and how it could be improved.
And then I let them loose to create their own board game. And let loose they did. In all we create 4 new board games (check the photo below to witness the fierce concentration), but the library closed before we had a chance to playtest them, so we're doing that next week. But there were some really interesting ideas.
* A game where you have to land on forges and then roll to see what sword is crafted so you can beat werewolves.
* A game with a spiral track were you pick up points but can land on traps that send you to a circular jail that you need to then escape.
* A play on Snakes and Ladders where the player can choose the short-cuts but they have the risk of not paying off and having you take a longer route.
I'm really happy with how the first class went, and I'm ecstatic that we actually managed to finish some games in the 1:30 hours available.
So next week will be playtesting and feedback on the games made.
The week thereafter I'm thinking of creating some card games. Any suggestions on games to make (for them) or reading material on teaching (for me) is more than welcome. I try to guide an encourage as best I can, but I know I can do better :)
I'm interested to hear how attendance changes over time. For most of a year last year we ran [free] weekly mobile dev courses for University students. But by the end there was exactly 1 attendant. But then when we decided to cancel them I got a bunch of messages from people asking me to carry them on.
Maybe you can get a greater understanding of students than I was able to :)
I am always keen to talk board and card games :) bit I find it easier in person. Let me know if you want to grab a coffee sometime
Gaming for kids: my 12 year old son is interested. When are you giving a class again and where?
I'm currently give classes at Hottentots-Holland High in Somerset West. The new semester has just started, so my next class should be next Wednesday 2:00pm, or the Wednesday after that (school still needs to let me know when I can start again).
The classes are for Grade 11-12 students though, but I'll send you a private message so we can work something out.
Do you still do the course thing or is it over?
The classes are still going, we skipped a few due to holidays and sports events, but the next class will be this coming Wednesday (17 August). We have moved from the library to Computer (IT) Room C4 were we are busy making videogames using GameMaker.
I'll have some CDs with the software with me (it's free to download as well), so pop in if you're curious and maybe make some games ;)
Lol got a little bit passionate just there. Theres also another game that im busying with. Im still working on it but im sure it will be done by next wednesday. But thanks for letting me know when the next class is and ill see you then.
P.S. I started a post/discussion today. Its my first one! Its about the power of the gaming experience. Take a look at it, its pretty darn awesome lol and tell your friends ;)
See you on Wednesday.
Would you be willing to share your curriculum with me?
I am thinking of doing a session once a month to start off with and hopefully ramp it up to every two weeks. I also want to bring in devs from local studios like @roguecode and @garethf to give the students practical examples of developers and their projects.
Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.
The first class we focussed on making a board game using dice and a few pieces of paper. I sat down with everyone around a table and quickly made a very rough board game (snakes and ladders clone) that we could play and test in 30min. They then had to create their own board games that we then played, after which I gave feedback.
The next lesson we played a board games that used resources other than just dice (Small World), and after that I showed them Magic the Gathering (only one of them had played it before). I wanted to start with physical games because it is easy to see the mechanics, and also how you would make your own board/card game.
The last couple of lessons I've started showing them how to use GameMaker. It's pretty much just me explaining everything I do on a projector, and compiling after each step to show the difference each line of code makes (top down shmups, pacman, twin stick shooter). I've given them a CD with a bunch of free software, the basics like an image and audio editor (Krita & Audacity). As it's impossible to teach them everything within the hour and a half we have each week, I'm hoping to get them inquisitive enough so they start making games on their own. @Eagan has already managed to make his first game, and I'm hoping to see some games from the other students soon.
I really wish I had a .doc file with a carefully laid out curriculum I could share with you, maybe by the end of the year I'd have a better idea on how to structure classes, and I'd happily share that. But at the moment I'm teaching the way I learned, which is by doing.
Please let me know if you think I'm doing more harm than good :D I'm well and truly open to suggestions and guidelines.
From my side, the school is extremely keen to give me their media room and we have buy in from both the Deputy and the Head. I am now just waiting for final written approval and will then start getting some adverts ready and some flyers created for the various schools around the area.
Thanks for the feedback. 8-}