Game Development
How many people do you know play video games? Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo? Do you ever wonder how these games are created and brought to life?
On the 13th June, Year 9 and 10 students had the opportunity to learn how to use Construct 2 software to create their very own video games. Carlo, an academic in Game Development and Design from Birmingham City University, kindly visited Shenley Academy and set up a wonderful workshop, so students could understand the processes involved in building a video game world, with characters and objectives. Despite all students starting off with a very similar design and template, every student came up with a different version of their game, from Mario Bros style coin collecting, to bouncing a balloon to reach a target, and even a game loosely based around a Donald Trump character.
After the session, the students appreciated how much work goes into constructing a game, from the layers of the game environment, to the properties of each object and how they interact with each other. The session was fun and creative, allowing students to either follow instructions or put their own unique spin on their game.
With the advances in technology and computing, software design and game development are all increasingly sought after skills, with many job prospects for those who choose to go into this career. The workshop was designed to give students a taste for what computing is like and the different careers involved, and show them how these skills are relevant to everyday life (including gaming for the modern teenager).
What did our students say?
Our students said they enjoyed making the game and experimenting with it. They appreciated the new experience, which taught them lots of skills, while also being fun and informative!
- “I like this experience because it gave me an insight into what programming is like. I also liked how helpful and informative Carlo was”
- “Enjoyable because I enjoy coding”.
- “Interactive in a fun manner. I learned a lot about game design”
- “I liked how we could modify the game to our likes”
