Elementary Game Design

This lesson is intended to prepare students to create simple game projects in Sprite Lab, a block-based programming environment where you can make simple animations and games with objects and characters that interact with each other. Students will begin to form an understanding of the programming model of this tool, and explore ways they can use it to express themselves.

In this skill-building lesson, students will work through a series of programming levels on the computer, finishing with an open-ended “free play” task where they can build whatever they like. Students will write programs and learn about the two concepts at the heart of Sprite Lab: sprites and behaviors. Students will learn to create and animate sprites and make them interactive using events.

In this skill-building lesson students will use variables to track a value that changes over time, like a counter or a scoreboard in a game. Students will begin learning how to modify the data stored in a variable by setting the initial value in the program and using events that cause the data to change based on user interaction. This key understanding of how variables work will also enable them to create more advanced projects and games.

In this skill-building lesson, students will delve into the world of game mechanics while furthering their understanding of Sprite Lab. Students will explore the mechanics that make games fun and engaging. They will learn about concepts such as player movement, obstacles, scoring systems, and win/lose conditions. They will begin to assign roles to different elements within their games learning to differentiate between sprites that act as players (controlled by the user) and sprites that form the environment (static elements or obstacles). They will understand the roles these sprites play in shaping gameplay dynamics.

Throughout the lesson, students will apply their knowledge by designing and implementing game mechanics using Sprite Lab. By the end of the lesson, they will have a solid grasp of how to create interactive and engaging game experiences within the framework of Sprite Lab and will be ready to code their own creative game in the following lesson!

Get ready to join a Game Jam! In this creative project-based lesson, students will apply their newfound skills in Sprite Lab to develop an original game from start to finish in the context of game development industry practice: Game Jam. Students will experience the thrill of rapid game development as they participate in a collaborative challenge to create a new game based on a randomly generated theme. Working against the clock, they'll brainstorm, plan, and code their games, embracing the creative constraints of the theme to produce innovative and engaging gameplay experiences. Students will include variables in their games to track and modify values dynamically.

By the end of the lesson, they will have gained experience in game design, coding, and problem-solving, ready to share their creations with others in a user testing experience in the next lesson.

In this culminating lesson, students will learn how to collect and analyze valuable data from users of their games. This will empower them to make informed decisions for future iterations and improvements. Through hands-on activities and discussions, students will delve into the importance of user feedback and data-driven decision-making in game development.

By the end of the lesson, they'll understand how to leverage the data they collected in order to iterate on their games, refine gameplay mechanics, user interfaces, and the overall player experience. This final lesson equips students with the skills and mindset needed to create games that continuously evolve and improve based on user insights.