Why Teach Games?

I realize that many educators are skeptical of the merits of teaching game design. As I tell my students in my summer courses, however, “Computers is stupid. They only do what you tell them.” Unlike most of the content and processes within our curriculum, students have an innate understanding of the complexities of an engaging gaming experience. They understand the importance of a good story line, the linear progression of difficulty, and the relationships between all the assets that comprise a game’s strategy. In short, they “get” what makes a good game; the trick is to apply those concepts to something new. They know what they would like to see happen; they just don’t know how to bring their ideas to fruition because, of course, the computer can’t do it for them…so they have to think.

Here’s a quick list of some of the tools I’ve used through the years, ranging from a simple website for elementary students to a full-fledged programming language for teenagers and adults.

Sploder
As an entry point, Sploder offers all the basics of a 2D shooter with a simple web-based design interface. Though limited in functionality, it can be very effective in examining the basic relationships between assets in a game. Finished games can be shared online, fostering peer (aka expert) feedback.

Quest Creator
Adventure games are great vehicles for storytelling, and Quest Creator excels at bringing imagination to life. For only $15 (and $1 for each additional computer), there is simply no better or more cost effective tool for letting students create their own version of Tolkein’s trilogy.

StageCast
Although not inexpensive ($775 for 25 users), StageCast is a highly versatile tool for creating games and animations. The program comes with a detailed set of self-guided tutorials and its icon-based approach to scripting teaches students the fundamentals of programming without the need for learning a language.

GameMaker
Available in a free (but rather limited) form as well as a full function “pro” version ($20 with site licenses available), GameMaker is an excellent introduction to 2D game design. Using drag-and-drop commands, users can create sophisticated games that employ scripts, sprites, and scrolling backgrounds without the need for coding. Games can be exported as .exe files for playback on any PC.

3D GameMaker
Until recently, 3D game creation was beyond the reach of non-programmers, but thanks to the 3D GameMaker, even elementary-age students can create stunning games using just their imagination. For $35 (volume pricing available), more than 12 billion gaming options are available.

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FPS Creator
Older (i.e. high school) students interested in making commercial-quality first person shooters won’t be disappointed with FPS Creator ($50 with volume pricing available). Although no programming is necessary, the design interface is too complex and the characters too graphic for elementary and middle school. That notwithstanding, the results are truly impressive.

DarkBASIC
The aforementioned point and click tools are great for introducing fundamental concepts and building some highly entertaining games, but “real” video games are created with code. DarkBASIC ($15 for Lite; $40 for Full Version) employs the BASIC programming language to create 3D games and animations.

Stop Playing and Start Creating

Whether your goal is to just experiment with sprites or jump straight into the intricacies of code, game design tools can foster creativity and critical thinking. Chris Crawford’s The Art of Computer Game Design is a must-read for anyone wanting to explore the possibilities, but it’s OK to start small. Talk with your students, try a free demo, and see what they can create; I think you’ll pleasantly surprised.

At first glance, a video game based on rescuing hostages may not seem like a vehicle for higher-order thinking. While I believe the premise of the game addresses that issue, the real value of the gaming experience for my son came when he couldn’t figure out how to complete a particularly challenging level. After spending more than an hour trying to solve the problem independently, he finally asked for assistance, and in doing so gave me a window into how motivation, experimentation, and the right resources can support learning.

Image Source: http://socom.us.playstation.com/page/screenshots.aspx

Motivated to Win, Motivated to Learn

Alfie Kohn, Robert Marzano, and a host of other researches have written volumes on the topic of student motivation. Regardless of which theorist you subscribe to, the simple fact is that video game designers are the true masters of motivation. Games don’t sell unless they are popular, and kids won’t play games that don’t motivate them. If my son hadn’t truly been engaged by his game, he would not have been as willing to seek out a solution. In short, because he was motivated to win, he was motivated to learn how to solve the problem.

While we would all like to believe that students are intrinsically motivated and our learning experiences are designed to illicit their best thinking, such is not always the case. The promise of an “A” on an exercise means very little to some students, and problems/questions that appeal to us may only be marginally interesting or relevant in their minds. The mantra of “this is important so you need to learn it” is insufficient; we need them to want to figure out how to get to the next “level”.

Experiment with the Buttons

When my son showed me the game, he explained that he had found where the hostages were being held and eliminated all “enemy resistance”. However, despite trying “every” possible combination of controller buttons and searching the room thoroughly, he couldn’t get them to move (i.e. escape) out of the room. Despite not being successful, he at least had the opportunity to apply his prior knowledge, experiment, and receive immediate feedback. He didn’t discover how to free the captives, but he did learn what didn’t work.

Game designers understand the value of experimentation and recognize that kids can manipulate variables. SOCOM uses 10 different buttons, which, when used in combination, can perform more than 30 different functions (by comparison, a linear equation has three variables that can be solved using four buttons on a calculator). Unfortunately, experimentation is frequently a minimal or completely missing component of the problem-solving process. Trial and error can facilitate learning if we create opportunities that allow for it and then give our students the time and freedom to explore…and to fail.

If You Don’t Know, Ask

Reading is not something my son particularly enjoys, so when he told me he had read through the instruction booklet and still couldn’t find the answer I was pleasantly surprised at his diligence. When he proceeded to open a web browser and started searching Ask for more information, I knew he was committed to his quest. With my help, we identified key-words for his search and skimmed through the results in hopes of finding the secret. Unfortunately, we came up empty, but he hasn’t given up. Tomorrow, when he returns to school, he is going to find out if any of his friends have the same game and ask for their help.

Under different circumstances, teaching search strategies to a nine year old might be a tenuous proposition at best. The difference in this case was that aside from being motivated, he had enough background knowledge to frame his query, perform a targeted search, and evaluate the results. When conducting research, students are frequently asked to find information on a subject that either requires no thinking whatsoever or a depth of understanding they do not yet posses. The gap between Googling and synthesizing information is enormous and we need to be mindful not to let students fall into the chasm or it’s the educational equivalent of “Game Over”.

You Don’t Have to Compete With Games

In case this question was forming in your mind, the answer is no. Educators should, however, approach motivation, experimentation, and resources thoughtfully. My anecdotal example of SOCOM may not convince anyone of the merits of video games, but I would challenge you to find anything from my son’s curriculum this year that would inspire him to spend half a vacation day developing his critical thinking and problem skills.

BTW…if you happen to know how to rescue the hostages, feel free to pass that information along; I know he’d appreciate it!