All posts tagged with ‘games design’
- May 4th, 2010
Kodu Training
- charlielove
- Comments: 3 Comments » Tags: Tags: cfe, games design, Kodu, Learning, Microsoft Research, Training
: Categories Consolarium, games design
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| Kodu Game Lab |
At the Consolarium we’ve been fans of Kodu Game Lab for a few months now. This free software for PC appeared as a version for the Xbox 360 about a year ago and was launched on PC this January. The software was developed by Microsoft Research’s Fuse Labs and is aimed at enabling an interest in games design and programming in learners. It uses a visual set of design and coding tools and is controlled using either the Xbox 360 Controller or a keyboard and mouse. With it you can create a huge variety of games, including sideways scrollers, invaders, racing games and so on – all in 3D.
Brian Clark and I have just returned from two days of training Primary and Secondary teachers in Ayrshire in the use of this software. The Consolarium training was also supported by Andrew Sithers, Academic Evangelist for Microsoft and the lead person for Kodu Game Lab in the UK.
This training is stage one in the first UK pilot of Kodu in the classroom. Our pilot is aimed at the transition between P7 and S1. Learners will gain an experience of Kodu in the primary and then transfer these skills to their first year in secondary. The rich collection of tools in Kodu will empower learners to create any world, play any game style and tell any story.
It was a very interesting two days and we learned a lot from the teachers involved. It was interesting, for example, to discover that many of the teachers present had never held a game controller before. By the end of our two day session the teachers were all creating their own games and had developed skills in Kodu which they can continue to build on as they introduce the software to their pupils in school. The Consolarium will be supporting this development with follow up visits to the schools involved and we look forward to posting the games the pupils make to the blog!
More
You can try Kodu yourself by downloading it from http://fuse.microsoft.com/kodu.html (click the Try Kodu Now button).
- February 26th, 2010
Digital Games Design Competition @ SLF10
- Brian Clark
- Comments: 5 Comments » Tags: Tags: cfe, Consolarium, cross-curricular, games design, SLF10
: Categories Consolarium, Glow, SLF10, cross-curricular, games design
Fancy yourself as a Games Designer?
Do you think Sonic is super?
Do you marvel at Mario?
Are you crazy about Crash?
Love Lara?
Fancy yourself as a games designer? Now is your chance to design, create and market your own computer game with great characters and compelling storylines. Your game only has to meet two criteria for your chance to win some great prizes.
- It should be an adventure/platform/puzzle game with a story behind it.
- The player should be able to control a character and solve a puzzle or collect items to progress to the next level / complete the game.
If you are a pupil at a school in Scotland then you can enter your game in one of four categories:
- Primary Individual
- Primary Group
- Secondary Individual
- Secondary Group
Check out some examples and find out more by watching this video.
You can download the high quality mp4 here, or an iPod mp4 here.
When designing and creating your game, and think about
- characters and background that will be used in the game
- music and sound effects to be used in the game
- levels / progression through the game
Use any game creation tool to build your game. For example 2DIY, Scratch, Kodu, Game Maker, SimsCarnival, Greenfoot, Flash, Net Radiant, Unreal Development Kit, Microsoft XNA or any other appropriate platform
Send us the complete game in an email, or a link or on CD/DVD. Make sure you let us know what software you used.
Need some help to get started?
Consolarium Development Officers, Charlie Love and Brian Clark, are available to offer you some assistance. They can be contacted via email (c.love@ltscotland.org.uk and b.clark@LTScotland.org.uk ).
The Final
Successful finalists will be invited to attend the Scottish Learning Festival on the 22nd/23rd September to present their game to a panel of Game Developers and Industry Specialists. A number of great prizes will also be on offer including a tour of the studio at game developers, Denki.
The closing date for all entries is Friday 3rd September 2010
More- May 29th, 2009
LTS does Dragons’ Den at SLF ’09
- Derek Robertson
- Comments: none Tags: Tags: Consolarium, dragon, games design, SLF09
: Categories SLF09, games design
Have you got a good idea for a computer game?
Do you have an idea for a computer game that might be the next worldwide smash hit or do you have an idea for a character that could capture the imagination of game players across the globe?
If so, then this year’s LTS does Dragons’ Den competition at The Scottish Learning Festival could be just the opportunity for you to showcase your imagination and ideas to a panel of professional experts from the Scottish computer games industry.
What we are inviting school pupils to do is to devise a concept for a computer game that they will be pitched to the Dragon’s. The time that you will have for your pitch is 10 minutes. The content of your presentation can take any form that you decide but we suggest five areas that you may like you to give consideration to. These are:
- What is the underpinning idea for the game and its game play?
- Give a clear and concise description of your game
- What is the target audience and appeal of your game?
- What age range is targeted
- Who will buy the game and what will motivate them to do so?
- What will the game look like?
- Design at least two characters and one set to help the Dragons’ visualise your ideas
- What makes your game original?
- What does your game have that isn’t or hasn’t been on the market
- How would you market your game?
- Front cover design should be included in your presentation
- What devices will the game be made for?
* Please note: if you and your team have made a game or have built any associated aspects of your game then please do include this.
Who is the competition open to?
The competition is open to boys and girls from the ages of 3-18
What is the maximum team size?
The maximum numbers of team members is four
Who are the Dragons?
The full and final line-up of Dragons has yet to be confirmed.
What form will the event at SLF’09 take?
The pre-event judging will select four teams to present at SLF’09. At the event each team will be given 10 minutes to make their pitch with 5 minutes questions and feedback from the Dragons. The Dragons will be given a few minutes at the end to decide on which entry they felt proved to be the most innovative and appealing for a games design company.
What presentation facilities are available at SLF ’09
A PC with Powerpoint and a Mac with Keynote will be available to present. We will try, where possible, to accommodate all presentation requirements
Submitting an entry
Entries to the pre-judging aspect of this competition can be sent to consolarium@ltscotland.org.uk. A detailed submission is welcome but contestants must realise that any detailed submissions need to be summarised and delivered in the 10 minute pitch that they have to the Dragons. The closing date for submissions to the competition is Friday 11th September with the successful contestants being notified by Monday 14th September.
We ask that competition entries are submitted by a teacher who has been working with the pupils involved.
Travel arrangements
LTS will cover the cost of travel to and from SLF’09 for all the finalists.
Is there a prize?
Yes, more details to follow…
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