Description:

This program is designed to keep young minds engaged and sharp while building critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and enriching vocabulary.

Game design fosters systems thinking in students. Students learn how to thinking logically,  understand different components and how those components to create a whole- bascially how the real world works. 

As they engage in playing, modifying, and creating games, they naturally cultivate a mindset that grasps interconnections and and ask "what-if" questions about future scenarios. By analyzing interactions within games, students learn to appreciate how individual components influence overall gameplay. They come to realize that even minor alterations can yield substantial effects on the entire system. 

Systems thinking involves scrutinizing the interdependent elements that constitute a system, forming the essence of this cognitive approach. Through this lens, both students and educators gain insights into effecting positive changes within systems.

Here's what awaits our club members:

Creative Challenges with Game Design: Engage both hemispheres of the brain with creative challenges, encouraging innovative thinking and problem-solving in unconventional and enjoyable ways. 

Each day will start with a lesson on a logic or puzzle principle and then we will use what we learn in online Game Design using Gimkit Creative. Students will design their own mazes and gameplay. Students will then be able to test out each others Games and work collaboratively to create a full game. 

Several studies have shown that games increase student motivation and retention. Engaging in games, whether analog or digital, aids students in recognizing patterns, strategizing future moves, anticipating potential outcomes, and extracting lessons from their experiences.

Game design takes it to another level. Game design activates an iterative design process that is, by nature, collaborative and active. 

Design encompasses a creative journey where an initial concept takes form through observation, definition, ideation, prototyping, play-testing, and refinement. This iterative process involves generating numerous versions of the idea. Design involves orchestrating various elements into a cohesive whole where the entirety surpasses the individual components. It melds empathy for problem context, creativity in generating ideas, and rationality in evaluating and tailoring solutions to fit the context.

Each week we will learning different Game Design mechanisms and the Psychology behind gameplay and motivation of players.

Week of February 26th: Intro to logic and Game Design Playing vs Game
Week of March 4th: The Psychology of Player Motivation
Week of March 11th: Parts of a Game
Week of March 18th: Core Mechanics and Components
Week March 18th: Core Mechanics and Components Follow up
Week April 1st: Space, Rules and Challenge
Week April 8th: Designing from Scratch
Week April 15th: Designing for a Theme
Week April 22nd: Game mechanics, motivation and learning processes
Week April 29th: The Challenge-Skill Balance