Lesson

Play
10 minutes

Choose a game or series of games in Gamestar Mechanic for your class to play that highlight the different kinds of game space. If you are having trouble choosing a game or creating one of your own, refer to the recommended games for this lesson.

Discuss
10 minutes

1. Begin a conversation with your class about the spaces that exist in the game(s) they played. If your class is having difficulty with the concept of game space use the following questions to help them out:

    Describe the qualities of the game space in the game(s) you played.

    Describe how the design of the space affected how you moved through the game space.

    Describe how the game space affected what you chose to do in the space.

Design
30 minutes

1. Have your class start by designing a top-down game modeled on a setting like a racetrack or a garden.

2. Remind them to use the game label and intro screen to suggest something about the game space.

3. Have your students add a second level to the game, this time using a platformer space. Recreate the first level in this new space.

Playtest and Iterate
20 minutes

Give students time to playtest each others’ games. Allow them to make changes to both levels of their game based on the feedback received.

Circle Up
10 minutes

1. Have your class present their games to each other.

2. Encourage each student to talk about their top-down and platformer games. Use the following prompts to get the conversation started:

    What is the idea behind your game space?

    How did the concept change from level 1 (top-down) to level 2 (platformer)?