Digital Game Design for Teens

1. Digital Game Design for Teens The New Library! By J. Shown, CEO Prospero’s Pen Games

2. Why Digital Games at a Library? • First of all: Librarians Rock! • Second: Libraries are going through an Evolution! • The Evolution is about: • Filling the Education Gap • Creating a Learning Place • Providing Resources for Learning

3. Why do we want to teach Digital Game Creation? • It is a way to teach teens similar skills that you would find in: • Mathematical Logic • Critical Thinking • Creative Writing • Teamwork • Game Ethics

4. But aren’t we just “Playing Around”? • Johan Huizinga, a Medievalist wrote in his book: Homo Ludens(translated: Man at Play) • “Culture Arises in and out of Play” • Why is that an important statement?

5. Play is serious stuff • Play teaches social rules • Play teaches how to adapt and improve • Play teaches how to lose and how to win, In accordance with Social Rules, learned from the game What other things are taught or supported by games?

6. Putting together a Digital Game Workshop • Age Range: 12-17 • Days: 4 (optimum) • Time period each day (4 hours with 1 break) • Are you going to use it for fundraising?

7. Putting together a Digital Game Workshop • Are you going to teach the process of a game design? • Are you going to incorporate a game design program?

8. Putting Together a Digital Game Workshop • Teaching the Process of Digital Game Design incorporates: • Placing the students in “Teams” where they choose a Project Manager • The Project Manager receives a budget and with the team appropriates money for the different aspects of Game Development.

9. Putting Together a Digital Game Workshop • The Project Manager must track expenses • The team decides who will write the Narrative, the Why of the game • Who will create the dialogue • Who will create the sound effects

10. Putting Together a Digital Game Workshop • Have the Reference Librarian bring in materials to help them research characters, art, science, space exploration, science fiction and fantasy and music! Talk about them! • Because in real Game Companies, they have learned the hard way to do their character and storyline research

11. Putting Together a Digital Game Workshop • The students will create “storyboards” for action sequences

12. Putting Together a Digital Game Workshop • Have the students act out either the opening of their game or a scene with sound effects • The Project Manager must explain the budgetary spending and why they spent their funds.

13. Putting Together a Digital Game Workshop • Now the Fancy footwork! • Find someone to sponsor “Swag” • Swag are giveaways each day and have some branding identity with games. • Approach Game Stop for support, or Game House, Microsoft (they’re tough) or smaller game house venues. • Make sure everyone receives something everyday

14. Introducing Kodu Digital Game Lab • Kodu Game Lab • This is a free application from Microsoft! • Website: http://fuse.microsoft.com/page/kodu

15. Game Jam! • The last day of the camp is a race to see which team can create a fun coherent game! • Three judges from the library are needed to rate the games and the team with the best rating wins a prize. • Everyone receives a Certificate of Completion!

16. Best Books for this: • Game Design for Teens by Les Pardew, Scott Pugh, Eric Nunamaker, et. Al. 2004. • A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Ralph Koster, 2004.

17. Thank you for coming to Digital Game Workshops • Further Questions or Conversation: Jeanette Shown jlshown@prosperospen.com