Process
Process
Students spent a couple of months learning the basics of scratch programming. Students learned the necessary skills by creating a variety of basic games (maze, catch, scrolling, click, story etc.) so that they would have a foundation of games to choose from when it became time to plan their impact game. Their final challenge before embarking on the impact game content was to build out one of the basic games to include some more intermediate and advance tasks – for example, keep score, give the player multiple lives, include multiple levels, and a variety of other optional challenges that students could pursue depending on their mastery of the foundational concepts. They could then refer to these games as a reference for the technology while later applying the topic content.
The implementation of the actual impact game project went like this:
Introduce the concept of Impact Games by exploring past student work/ student work found online.
Brainstorm topics: Individual brainstorm → group share out → whole class discussion of topics/ issues that are important to students.
Each class generates a list of topics. Students choose any two or three topics (not just those that they had proposed) to think about further. Students have time to read / discuss each others ideas, so that those who are struggling to think of something can build on someone else’s example, if needed.
This task and the results are pictured below. (Apologies for terrible photos - was unofficially documenting!)
Task - using color coded post-it notes:
What questions should your game to answer about your topic?
What images can you use to represent different elements of this topic?
What kind of game might work well with this topic?
After reviewing the post-it gallery, students choose one topic to pursue and brainstorm two game ideas for that topic.
Students choose one of the two game ideas to storyboard and execute.
Students complete a first draft of their game. (Approx 2 weeks, but deadline was a bit fluid according to student needs.)
Playtest & Feedback - Students play each other's games and provide constructive feedback.
Draft 2 of game (Students on own timeline for this part)
Another round of playtesting and revision if applicable.
Submit final draft and Artist Statement.