Advanced Game Design Course in Minecraft: Create a Game in Minecraft (5-Session)
Become a part of a game development team and collaborate with others to design a uniquely themed Minecraft game project in this 5-week course (Minecraft Java Edition for PC / Mac Only. NO iPad or Tablet).
Connected Camps
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4.7
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What's included
5 live meetings
7 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
This class does not require any out-of-class work. We do offer optional challenges that students can work on as an extension of what is taught in class. We provide guidance and instructions for students who are inspired to delve deeper into the topic. The purpose of these challenges is to give students the opportunity to supplement their learning with additional material that aligns with their passions and goals. Students may then integrate their learnings into their project and showcase their accomplishments to their classmates. With this approach, students can explore the subject on their own. We give students the opportunity to share what they’ve explored independently with the class.Assessment
At Connected Camps, we assess each student’s progress by engaging them in reflection of their own work and the work of their classmates. By building in Minecraft and applying concepts taught in class, our students are able to solidify their learnings through hands-on application. Our counselors’ focus is to provide qualitative feedback to further each students’ individual goals and interests, and we do not use letter or number grades. In addition to our in-class reflections, our counselors also provide post-session recaps that offer a summary of what is accomplished each day. Through these summary reflections, students are able to review the material and share with their parents what they did in class. We find this approach allows kids of different interests and abilities to engage with our teachings in a way that is particularly relevant to them.Grading
includedClass Experience
PLATFORM: (Minecraft Java Edition for PC / Mac Only! Not compatible with Ipads, Kindles, Tablets, Phones, and Game Consoles.) SKILL LEVEL: This program is meant for Advanced level players. This program requires Moderate reading comprehension, Moderate proficiency with computers, and in-depth prior experience with Minecraft. Additionally, campers will need typing and hotkey proficiency, along with basic arithmetic skills. We recommend that you take our Game Design Camp in Minecraft before taking this program to ensure that you have the best experience possible. PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Have you ever come up with a cool game design idea but didn’t know how to start? Minecraft is the perfect place to bring those ideas to life! In this course, you’ll collaborate with other students to design a game from start to finish in a custom Minecraft server. Like all Connected Camps programs, this class offers a project-based, exploratory classroom environment that sits at the intersection of learning and playing. After all, kids learn the most when they're having fun! From brainstorming to playtesting, we’ll walk you through each step of the game design process as you work with others to build a game. This is the same process that real-life game designers use to create games like Minecraft, Fortnite, and The Legend of Zelda. Over the course of 5 sessions, you will: — Learn the game design process and each of its stages to plan, document, create, and playtest. — Add game mechanics like quests and ranking systems to flesh out your game. — Collaborate with others by working in unique game design roles to complete the project. — Learn the value of playtesting and how to use feedback to improve your work. We’ll start off with an initial brainstorming session in class, where we’ll compose a game design plan and then assign unique tasks and roles for each team member. With each new day, you and your team will add new mechanics to enhance the gameplay experience and make the game more challenging. Towards the end, you’ll be able to playtest your project and polish out the details until it’s ready to be finalized and showcased to the class! Since each game design project is unique, you can repeat this course to participate in more group projects in the future. PARENTS: Most video games today are produced by game developers working both independently and collectively towards a long-term project goal. This is a course where students can get that experience on a smaller scale as they create a game while following the game design process. A unique game project is selected at the beginning of each course by the students. This makes the class repeatable for kids who want to keep refining their game design skills and make more games. As your child sets and meets their goals, they will also learn the key elements of group project management which translates well into any future play and work. This is an 5-session course that balances discussion time with plenty of hands-on experience so students can cement what they’re learning and explore the topics they're interested in. We combine Minecraft with education so your child can engage their passions as they have fun in a positive, interest-driven environment. Please note that we will be asking for your camper's in-game username so that we can add them to our server's safelist.
Learning Goals
— Day 1 - Set Up and Prototyping: Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Minecraft and to familiarize kids with our camp’s objectives. The class will play through various mini-games in Minecraft to get familiar with the types of game they can create. Students will then brainstorm a few prototype games they might try to build in the coming days.
— Day 2 - Game Mechanics: This is the day to brainstorm and further develop the basic rules and mechanics of their game and what events will occur during gameplay. Students will learn about the iterative design process of brainstorming, testing, and tweaking their ideas.
— Day 3 - Finding the Fun: In this session, students will start by identifying that "secret ingredient" that makes their game unique and fun. They'll spend the rest of the session honing that fun factor by working towards completing their first draft of the game.
— Day 4 - Polishing: Students will focus on cleaning up around the edges of their game to improve its aesthetic feel. There will be time for last-minute playtests and tweaks to gameplay to ensure that students are ready for the final day of the camp!
— Day 5 - Final Showcase: This is the last class to touch up their projects. Students will have the chance to showcase their final product and play each others’ creations, providing feedback and reflecting on their progress as a group.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Internet safety is a top priority for us and our goal is to create a safe, connected community of learners that is moderated by our instructors. Throughout our programs we strive to educate our learners on internet safety and best practices for connecting online.
In our programs, our learners are often making friendships and connections with others in class. While we encourage positive online friendships, we think it’s important to practice these principles of internet safety:
— Do NOT ask others to connect online outside of our programs without first confirming with your parents. Our programs are a safe, moderated space for learners to engage but we can’t moderate connections outside of our classes.
— Do NOT give away personal information which includes but is not limited to: your name, address, phone number, passwords, location, email address, and parental information.
— If an individual asks for personal information, you should inform a counselor or your parent for guidance.
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Common Sense Media Resources for Parents:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/keeping-games-fun-and-friendly
Keeping Games Fun and Friendly: learn how to keep your child's experiences positive and fun when communicating in online games with others.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/video/modal/4141366#
The Power of Words: help your child learn that words exchanged online are indeed powerful, and offer strategies to use when confronted with cyberbullying.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/private-and-personal-information
Private and Personal Information: learn the difference between what personal things your child can safely share online and private information that should not be shared.
Supply List
A Minecraft Java Edition account must be purchased by the learner. Participants will receive access to the Connected Camps Minecraft Server where the program will be run. To access the server, each learner will need the Java edition of Minecraft and will need to set their version release to 1.15.2. Other Minecraft versions like the "Minecraft for Windows 10 version", console editions, and pocket editions for mobile devices will not work for this course. A pair of headphones and microphone are also needed for communication with the class.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Not an official Minecraft product. Not approved or associated with Mojang.
Joined June, 2020
4.7
4022reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/
One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.
The curriculum for this program was designed by a team of counselors pursuing degrees relevant to the material at hand. The learning experiences in this class are driven by these counselors’ academic expertise in the field, along with their desire to share their passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.Reviews
Live Group Class
$135
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
90 min
Completed by 47 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
3-10 learners per class
