Game Design Course in Roblox: Design and Program Your Own Game (8-Session)
Become a game designer in Roblox by learning the Lua programming language and basic game design principles to craft your own unique video game!
Connected Camps
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(4,017)
Popular
What's included
8 live meetings
12 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 Roblox 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: (Roblox Studio is free and can be obtained here: https://www.roblox.com/create. Mac and Windows ONLY! Not compatible with Ipads, Kindles, Tablets, Phones, and Game Consoles.) SKILL LEVEL: This program is meant for Basic level players. This program requires Advanced reading comprehension, Moderate proficiency with computers, and some prior experience with Roblox. Additionally, campers will need typing and hotkey proficiency, along with basic arithmetic skills. PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Professionally-made video games are created through the combined efforts of multiple teams. With Roblox Studio, you can play the role of both a programmer and a game designer to explore the various aspects of video game development. 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! To power your creations, you will learn a light-weight programming language called Lua to create scripts that’ll customize the properties of in-game objects. We’ll show you the ropes in implementing technical elements such as special effects, breakable objects, and triggered events. Over the course of 2 months, you will: — Deepen your game design and programming skills in the Roblox Studio Program to create your own video game. — Code scripts with the Lua programming language that’ll enable you to take control of the game’s environment. — Learn how to apply technical elements like scoreboards and animations to enhance the user experience. — Develop a project from start to finish and refine different qualities over the course of each developmental stage. This is a course where you’ll learn the basics of Roblox Studio as you progress through your own video game project. At the start of each session, we’ll introduce a new technical element for you to implement into your game’s design. As each class comes to an end, you’ll get to playtest and share your work with other students. This process will give you a ton of feedback so you can continually improve your work. You can also access your project at any time you want. This means you’ll be able to work on your project or show it off in your spare time outside of class! PARENTS: Video game design is comprised of many different technical and abstract components and in this course, your child will learn basic Lua programming while they develop a game project. We provide a constructive and safe space for students to learn and apply the same concepts that real life programmers and game designers use to create video games. As your child codes and taps into their critical thinking skills, they’ll be able to see the results of their programming by watching their game transform. This is an 8-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 Roblox 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 connect and play together. Your child will also have access to Roblox Studio after the program and can continue to use their new skills in their personal projects.
Learning Goals
— Day 1 - Set Up and Brainstorm + Terrain: Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Roblox Studio and to familiarize kids with our course’s objectives. In our first class, students will start brainstorming ideas for the games they’d like to create. We’ll familiarize them with the Roblox Studio tools and they will start crafting the terrain for their maps.
— Day 2 - Event Triggers / Script Basics: With scripts, objects can be brought to life and made interactive. Students in this session will utilize a basic programming language (Lua) and scripts to incorporate into their game and make event triggers.
— Day 3 - UI / UX: After an introduction to UI / UX, students will learn how to add surfaceGUI to parts of their games to enable drop-down menus and start screens.
— Day 4 - Scoreboards / Breakable Objects: By making certain objects breakable or obtainable, we’ll show students how to connect those objects to a functional scoreboard or leaderboard. This enables maps to have objects that can contribute to a score in which playtesters can collect.
— Day 5 - Mobs and NPCs: Mobs and NPCs are non-playable characters or characters that are targetable. In this session, students will add NPCs or mobs to their games. They will also be able to script dialogue for the NPCs / Mobs they create.
— Day 6 - Special Effects: Using scripts, students may code special effects on their Roblox characters and other objects in the game. These special effects can be enabled at all times or only when players interact with the object.
— Day 7 - Animation and Rigging: Students will learn how to use the animation plugin to create custom animations or use pre-existing animations provided by Roblox. They will use this newfound knowledge to animate their NPCs.
— Day 8 - Showcase and Play: It’s showtime! Everyone will be able to share their games and playtest to reflect on the entire creation process. This is also the ideal time to give each other feedback.
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
For this class you will need a pair of headphones, a microphone, and Roblox Studio. Roblox Studio is free, works on both Mac and Windows and can be obtained here: https://www.roblox.com/create
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2020
4.7
4017reviews
Popular
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
$195
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
90 min
Completed by 750 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-15
2-8 learners per class
