Game Design Camp

	Learn what game design is all about.
	Develop real computer games that you will take home on your own flash drive and CD.
	Turn your drawings into computer graphics and game levels.
	Learn the basics of computer programming.
	Take home a free copy of the game design software used in class.
	Get a free Game Design Camp T-shirt and have a chance to win daily prizes.

 

Goal:

The camp will concentrate on how to design games, the process of making games, working on the technical aspects as well as the creative aspects of making a game, and actually producing a new game in a specific format every day. At the end of the week, each student will have started to create or have created four games in the following design:

Weekly Schedule:

Each day students will create a new game in a specific genre. Students will persoanlize the games with their own stories, graphics, and sounds.

• Monday: Maze Game
• Tuesday: Platform Game
• Wednesday: Side Scrolling
• Thursday: Role Playing Game (RPG)
• Friday: student choice...

Students will cover the following topics:

Multimedia design:

• Sounds
• Objects - events and actions
• Rooms or Levels
• Game Information

Along the way there will be time and instructions in game design concept by working on:

• Ideas/Storyboards using pencil and paper or software such as PowerPoint
• Characters development
• Types of Actions
• How "Playable" is the game
• Goals and levels
• Maps

We will have students produce individual work, but they will be working in pairs as well as presenting their work to the group. Not all work will be completed by the end of the day, but the students will learn to present what they have done and get peer review feedback on the work to that point.

Our general goal is to get a solid design process and storyboard action, to learn follow through in the game design, and to learn to share their work!

Time: Our camps run from 9:00 to 3:00, Monday - Friday. Istructors will be in the lab at 8:00 for early drop off and will stay until 4:00 for late pickup. The early drop off and late pick up is intended for work time on Graphic Design. Students will stay in the lab during this time until parents pick up the student.

Snacks/Lunch:

We will take a lunch break at 11:30 am for about an hour as well as an afternoon break. We will eat in a classroom area in Tower Hall or outside if the weather is nice. No lunch service is available so students should pack their own lunches and snacks.

What to Bring:

Folder, paper, & pencil … and some creative energy and an enthusiastic attitude!

 To Register: Visit our registration page

Dates and Ages:

• July 15 - 19, 2013 - Game Design Camp for 10 – 13 year olds

Cost:

• $175 for the week long camp
• Includes free T-shirt
• Includes free flash drive with GameMaker software

Notes:

• Each session is limited to 20 students.
• Sessions will be held in the St. Scholastica computer labs.
• Each student will work at their own computer.

Location: The camp is held in Tower Hall of the College of St. Scholastica. The Computer Lab is on the 2^nd floor of Tower Hall, room 2420 . Drop off is best in front of the Chapel (number 3 on map). Tower Hall is number 13 on the map. On the first day of camp, guides with camp t-shirts will be outside the Chapel to show new campers the way. A campus map is available.

Expectations and Guidelines for the Week:

We want students to have the best week possible and with this we have established four general guidelines. All behavior should fall under these four items.

1. Respect
2. Responsibility
3. Safety
4. Have Fun!

Students should understand that they are visitors at the College of St. Scholastica. Classes are being held, people are working in offices, and appropriate behavior is expected. We will follow this procedure in the event that a behavior needs to be dealt with

1. Individual conference with the student to resolve the issue
2. Parent call - dismissal for the day
3. Dismissal from the camp

We want the best week possible, and we are excited about having you come, work hard, have fun, and share your creative ideas with all the people in the class. Your ideas are valuable and we are excited to see you!

Game Maker Software:

Students will use the Game Maker software for their game development.

• Game Maker was written by Mark Overmars. He is a full professor at the Institute of Information and Computing Sciences at Utrecht University in the Netherlands
• Game Maker guide for students was written by Margaret Meijers (New Town High School) and provides a good introduction to Game Maker and includes videos of the basic steps.
• The Game Maker website also has a number of tutorials including one for making your first game.