Video games in Scratch, 2nd Day

Today began with a quick review of the concepts discussed on the first day, with students talking once again about concepts like game mechanics and dynamics. Terrence was right up front, quickly explaining what dynamics were. Next, we talked about the games they played last time, and what was fun and what wasn't. Jasmine had played Rock Band, and had a lot more fun than she had initially expected, rockin' out to the music with the best of them.

The review complete, the first exercise was to find a game review online and read it closely, paying attention to how the reviewers talked about the game and how it fit in with the topics we had discussed. Each student took notes on the review and then stood before the class in turn, presenting their review and talking about what they liked and what confused them. Some good points were raised, including the role of the ESRB and how it fits into the gaming industry.

Finally, the students downloaded Scratch onto their computers and checked out the games available at MIT's website. RocketMan was very popular, and they were able to download it and take a look at how it's setup in Scratch. Hopefully, it'll give them some insight into making games with Scratch, which they'll be doing next session!

Video games in Scratch, 1st Day

Today was the first day back at ITA, and we jumped in with both feet with the Video Games in Scratch class, taking the students over to the video game lab in the Teacher Education building so they could get the full experience. Ryan started them off with a short lecture about concepts behind video game design, starting with Game Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics. The students were a little uncertain about talking about video games in such terms, but it wasn't long before they started to get into the discussion. Jacob raised some good points about why some games were more appealing than others, citing things like storyline and challenge, and Saige told everyone about her challenges playing Super Mario Kart against her brother.

Next, Ryan showed them the game Braid, and everyone had a great time playing that on the projector so the others could watch. Terrence did a great job navigating the difficult terrain. Way to go, Terrence!

Finally, the students were split up so they could play whatever game they chose form the lab's wide-ranging stock, with the intent that they pay attention to the things we had discussed. With things like mechanics and dynamics in mind, they played Rock Band, Call of Duty, and the Orange Box, enjoying themselves immensely, while learning something at the same time.

All in all, a great day for ITA!!!