English – Gamestar Mechanic

This post is mostly for parents.

Currently, we’re in the middle of a unit on videogames. We’re using a site called Gamestar Mechanic. Students sign up for the site and then are given the tools to make their own games. So far things are going great.

The site is free, but there is a “Premium” paid option which opens up more options for building games. I just want parents to know that, despite what your child may tell you, this is not necessary. I know that at least one student has opted to pay it, and that’s fine but again: everything your child needs to complete the unit and receive full marks is available on the free part of the site. I have in no way encouraged students to sign up for Premium and, in fact, have discouraged it in all instances.

I have no problems if students do wish to sign up, but please be aware that it would be solely at your (the parents) discretion.

ELA – Videogames

A couple of dates to keep in mind for the Videogames Unit.

On March 6, your game needs to be complete and ready to go for a “show & review” session. In that class, we’ll be reviewing each other’s games, making suggestions, and then the next two classes will be for revising our projects.

On March 9, the whole videogame project is due: the game, the review sheet, the storyboards, and the story planning sheet!

Be sure to keep up to date with all due dates on the calendar!

English

Work continued on our Gamestar Mechanic projects.

Gamestar Mechanic – Sample files now available!

For all you prospective game designers out there: check out the “Videogames” folder to retrieve a set of files all beginning with the word “Sample”. Each one is a completed version of the handouts we’ve been working on in class and should hopefully help you out in planning your own games.

Gamestar Mechanic

The site we’re using to build our games is called Gamestar Mechanic. It’s a fantastic site for playing, but one of the things that makes it such a great tool is that new users on the site must go through a series of tutorials – called Quests – that teach not only how to use the site, but also the elements of good game design. Topics that are covered include balanced gameplay, use of space and level design.

From an ELA standpoint, we’re using the site to create games that tell simple stories. Other writing activities also include writing reviews of others games, providing feedback to fellow students, as well as revising previous work.

Videogames!

We recently began a videogame unit in ELA. We started out by discussing what makes a game either good or bad. All the results of these brainstorming sessions are accessible through the sidebar at the right.