Video Game Design

Video games are an exciting and fun way to pass the time, either alone or with friends. In order to create high-quality games, a game designer must first understand why people enjoy playing games, and what makes a good game. From there, the game designer should create a plan for their game, and then learn the tools required to build a game (programming, 2D/3D modeling, story writing, controller mapping, etc). 

Your task is to learn about essential video game design concepts, and then apply these concepts to make your own game!

After creating a game, you will then play another classmate's game and provide them constructive feedback on what was good about the game, and what suggestions might improve the game. 

• FIRST - Learn about game design using these sites:
  • (Reading) Review 10 Game Design Tips from Unity https://unity.com/how-to/beginner/10-game-design-tips-new-developer
  • (Visual) Explore 3D-modeled video game levels from classic titles on https://noclip.website
  • (Interactive) Learn about Game design with Code Combat https://codecombat.com/play/game-dev-1

• SECOND - Build your own game
  • Use tutorials to make a game in Scratch https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tutorial=getStarted
  • You can choose your own genre of game to make (chase, race, fight, collect)
  • Work in a story to your game
    • Who is the main character
    • Why are they doing what they will do in the game
    • Is there an enemy/antagonist?
    • How will the character win, and what does that mean in terms of the story?
    • Create an ending for when a player wins (ride off into the sunset?)

1. Post your game link to our Schoology STEM Course page
2. Play other classmate's games
3. Provide them with constructive feedback (what you like about the game and suggestions to make it better) by commenting on their game post.
4. Use the feedback about your game, plus the ideas you may have thought of while playing other games, to go back and improve your game

The next time you play a video game (either in a web browser, on your phone, at home on your TV, or in an arcade), think about how the game designer made that game. What choices did they make to surprise or excite you? How was the game entertaining and enjoyable? Would there be any suggestions that you could make to improve the game?

Game designers will always be needed, as people will always play games. Maybe you will make the next great game!

STEM Website Scratch Instructions: https://sites.google.com/a/lfschools.net/78stem/projects/scratch

Thank you!

-Mr. Pollina