Games and Virtual Worlds Camps

Aline Click, Northern Illinois UniversityJason Underwood, Northern Illinois University

AECT 2011

The Digital Convergence Lab

Games Camp◦ The concept◦ The technology◦ The experience◦ Lessons learned

Virtual Worlds Camp◦ The concept◦ The technology◦ The experience◦ Lessons learned

Discussion

Interdisciplinary Partnership

◦ University Libraries and Division of Outreach, Engagement, and Information Technology Services

Innovative technologies and innovative application of technologies, with an emphasis on learning

Primary Missions

◦ Experiential Learning

◦ Shared Research and Development

◦ Community Outreach

NIU Digital Convergence Lab

Provide an environment that engages middle-school aged kids of all backgrounds and skill levels to the concepts and practice of media design and development, fundamental concepts of logic and programming, and provide an outlet for creativity.

Objective of games camp: By the end of this camp, you will design and develop a video game.

4 Days, 9a-4p

2009, 2010, 2011

Summer Games Camp

DCL Staff

◦ Educational Technology

◦ Media Specialists

◦ 3D Artist/Programmers

Graduate Assistants

◦ Art

◦ Educational Technology

Faculty Fellow

◦ Art Education

Camp Staff

GameMaker (by YoYo Games)

Technologies

GameMaker

◦ Lite/Full exports to .exe

◦ Other (new) versions export to HTML5, Mac version creates Mac Apps

◦ Strong community

Technologies

Hammerhead (Beat Creator) http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/download.shtml

BXFR (Sound effects) http://www.bfxr.net/

GIMP

Audacity

Technologies

Play/Discuss

Build

Play/Discuss

Build

Play/Discuss

Lunch

Think, Design, Playtest, Change (GameTech, Boys and Girls Club of America, 2009)

Day-by-Day

Play-Consoles

Games you love/What makes a good game

◦ Not too hard, not too easy, gets harder with you, space out, don’t notice time

◦ Fun

◦ Looks good

Play/Design Tour-Knytt Stories

GameMaker

Play/Design Tour-World of Goo

GameMaker Clown Game

Game Ideas Brainstorm

Design Documents

Day 1

Play Consoles

GM: Deconstruct Clown

GM: Improve Clown

◦ Lives, Health, Shooting, Rooms

Design Documents

Play/Design Tour: Aquaria

GM: Getting Started

Play/Design Tour: VVVVVV

GM: Worktime/Special Topics

◦ Gravity, Enemy health

Day 2

Play/Discuss-Braid

Image Editing/Creation

◦ Gimp

◦ Backgrounds, characters, enemies, pickups

Audio Creation

◦ Audacity, Hammerhead, BXFR

◦ Sound effects, game music

GM: Worktime/Special Topics

◦ Variables

◦ If-Then

◦ Large rooms

Day 3

GameMaker: Worktime

Play Testing

Reflection

Packaging

Sharing/Celebration

Where do we go from here?

Day 4

Games

OLPC

“Build time” is resource intensive

Staff Debrief

Balance whole class versus individual instruction

◦ Job Aids/Web/Youtube

Expectations

Consoles/Games/Building

Lunch Games

Lessons Learned

Learned how to create game by:

◦ Instructor demo: 75%

◦ Asked peer: 56.3%

◦ “Messing Around”: 37.5% I enjoyed creating my digital game:

◦ 87.5% Strongly Agree, 12.5% Agree I was able to create the content of my game to convey my message

to players

◦ 18.8% Strongly Agree, 43.8% Agree, 37.5% Don’t Agree I feel like I learned how to identify and solve problems

◦ 37.5% Strongly Agree, 50% Agree, 12.5% Don’t Agree My ability to express my thoughts and ideas has been enhanced

through making games

◦ 50% Strongly Agree, 43.8% Agree, 6.3% D I used many artistic skills to create my digital game.

◦ 37.5% Strongly Agree, 50% Agree, 12.5% Don’t Agree

What the kids tell us

How did you benefit?

◦ I now know how to make videogames at home

◦ I became even more creative

◦ I may now have a career in this industry

What did you like?

◦ I liked being able to make your own sprites through your imagination and ideas

◦ Getting to play my finished game in the end

◦ Programming

What didn’t you like?

◦ The frustration of the computer not understanding

◦ How hard it was

◦ It was too short. All the glitches in my game

◦ Learning the ropes

What the kids tell us

Provide middle school students an opportunity to learn to build independently and collaboratively in a virtual environment, applying design and development concepts in 2D and 3D art, and provide an outlet for creative energy with a high impact, engaging experience.

Objective: Create a presence in a virtual world with a customized avatar, clothing, accessories, and a structure, such as a home, castle, fort.

4 days, 9a-4p

2009, 2010, 2011

Virtual Worlds Camp

Most attended the first week “Games Camp” but not all

Ages 11-13

13 Males and 3 Females

The Students

OpenSimulator (OpenSim)

Technologies

GIMP (Textures)

QAvimator

(Avatar Animation)

Audacity (Sound)

Technologies

Image from Qavimator.org screenshots

Play – Consoles, PC

Theme Presentation (see lessons learned): Zoo, Tribe, Social Justice

Cirkus Animation

Altgeld Hall

Introduction to Opensim

Modeling Basics

Avatar Customizing

Texturing

Day 1

Play/Build

Creating custom textures

Creating clothing from templates

Face templates

Building structure (fort, home)

◦ Windows, roofs, towers

Day 2

Play/Build

Pigeon Impossible Video

◦ Good, Fast, or Cheap

3D Animation - Qavimator

Importing Animations

Adding sound to objects

Build time

Day 3

Screenshot from Pigeon Impossible website

Build time

Scripting

Celebration

Day 4

Opensim Challenges

Theme for Direction

Building with limits, landform and prim size

Diversity of Activity/Experience

Parcels/Etiquette

Anonymity

Keeping track of stuff

Lessons Learned

How did you benefit from the experience?

◦ “It helped me learn how to get past difficult problems”

◦ “I think it helped me when I eventually try to get a job in game design”

What are things you liked about the experience?

◦ “Customizing my avatar and space”

◦ “I liked being able to build anything without having to do a 5 hour search for only one type item, and how everything is accessible to you”

What the kids tell us

What are things you disliked?

◦ “the camp is too short!”

◦ “Less lectures”

Please provide suggestions to help us improve our instruction

◦ “I don’t have any suggestons for the camp I didn’t have any problems in the camp, in my head the camp is perfect”

Please provide any other comments…

◦ “It would be nice if you could make the camp a little longer”

◦ “MAKE THE CAMP LONGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

What the kids are telling us

I would like to have a career in the video game industry.

Strongly agree 37.5%, Agree 43.8%, Disagree 6.3%, Strongly Disagree 12.5%

I liked playing with the virtual spaces created by my peers.

Strongly agree 75%, Agree 25%

I forgot about time passing while participating in the activities.

Strongly agree 69%, Agree 25%, 6% Disagree

Surveys

Girls Scouts Game Design Workshop

Aspergers students (middle and high school)

At-risk residential camp (high school)

Teacher Professional Development

Art Education (undergraduate and graduate level students)

High School After School Art Club

Other Incarnations: Games Lab

Jason Underwood: junderwood@niu.edu

Aline Click: aclick@niu.edu

Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/Aliandrews

Digital Convergence Lab: http://dcl.niu.edu

Facebook Group: NIU Digital Convergence Lab

Twitter: NIUConvergence

Illustrations by Scott Fleming

Photographs by Elizabeth Anderson

Questions and Resources, etc.