Diving Into the Game Development: Introduction to Gamemaker
In this class, students will learn the basics of programming via game design using GameMaker!
Playful Digital Learning
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(573)
What's included
5 live meetings
10 in-class hoursHomework
No external homework is needed, but students are welcome to continue practicing their code outside of class.Class Experience
Students will learn to use GameMaker, a real game engine used by professionals in the industry! They will be introduced to event-based programming with the drag and drop features of GameMaker. Students will learn many important game development and programming skills, including variables, coordinates, conditionals, and more. These skills will be transferable to other popular programming languages, including Java and C++. Using these new skills, students will create a fully functioning side-scrolling action game that they can take home and let their friends and family play. Students are required to have basic computer skills, including switching between windows and saving or downloading files. It’s recommended you have some familiarity with programming, such as with our PDL Coding classes. However, no experience is actually necessary! We will introduce complete beginners to coding and GameMaker and give thorough instructions. In addition to the basics of programming, students in this course will: - Use technology to accomplish goals - Learn to work in group settings - Accomplish goals using programming concepts - Problem-solve when bugs arise and learn to handle challenges graciously - Practice their math and logic skills - Develop an engineering mindset Learning Goals Day 1. Introduction and creating the gamespace Day 2. Events, variables, and character movement Day 3. Game manager and randomness Day 4. Conditionals and collision Day 5. Polishing and extracting your game! The teacher will wait up to 15 minutes for students to arrive. If students do not show up within that time and haven’t provided advance notice, the session will not be rescheduled.
Learning Goals
Learning Goals
Day 1. Introduction and creating the gamespace
Day 2. Events, variables, and character movement
Day 3. Game manager and randomness
Day 4. Conditionals and collision
Day 5. Polishing and extracting your game!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
PDL Class Policy
Please verify that your student understands our policy. We want our students to treat us and each other with respect, and we want to make sure everyone has an enjoyable class time.
When in a Playful Digital Learning class, please respect your instructor and other students.
- Follow the teacher’s instructions
- Be polite and kind when suggesting or criticizing ideas
- Allow other students to speak
If the class is frequently interrupted or the student is misbehaving:
- First time: Verbal or written warning
- Second time: Put the student in a breakout room to speak with an instructor one on one
- Third time: Student’s Zoom audio will be muted until the teacher deems the behavior is corrected
Any warnings will be communicated to the student’s parent/guardian.
Supply List
Students are highly recommended to have a mouse (not a trackpad). They also need a camera and a microphone for communication. Prior to the class, students need to install GameMaker. https://gamemaker.io/en/download
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined August, 2020
4.9
573reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
The founder of Playful Digital Learning, Yoonhee Lee, has done extensive research on game-based literacy learning. She has a variety of teaching experience in K-12 and adult contexts in Korea and the US. She is currently teaching pre-service teachers in Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Her research topic is focusing on gaming and learning.
Lead Teacher, Ashtyn Dial, graduated from Arizona State University with a Master's in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has worked with children for several years and has taught many subjects including game development, language, writing, music, and more. She is familiar with several programming languages and game engines, including Java, GameMaker, and Unity.
Lead Teacher, Christopher Gonzalez is a senior Game Design student from Fitchburg State University. They taught themself Gamemaker Studio in his Junior year of highschool in order to create games for their best friend.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$279
for 5 classes5x per week, 1 week
120 min
Completed by 3 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
2-5 learners per class
