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Video Game Design (Beginner Coding: Part 1)
Class experience
US Grade 2 - 5
Beginner Level
This is a self-paced class. There are no live meetings. Students will watch video demonstrations and be assigned tasks to apply what they learn from the videos. Students are encouraged to submit their final game at the end of the course for teacher feedback. Future-Ready Skills-- Create2Discover classes integrate future-ready skills into the curriculum to help prepare students for a rapid-changing future. This class includes exercises that help students improve their digital...
6 lessons//6 Weeks
Week 1Lesson 1Kodu BasicsStudents learn the basics of using the Kodu software to develop a foundation for the rest of the class. They learn how to start a new game and add terrain and characters to their game world.Week 2Lesson 2Intro To CodingStudents are introduce to Kodu coding language and learn how to use game logic (When/Do) to code characters to do things in their games. They then take what they learned from the lesson to complete a coding challenge.Week 3Lesson 3Landscaping/Map DesignThe focus of this lesson is to help students create richer game environments. Students learn how to create different types of terrain, various landforms, and water features. Finally, students learn how to use size perspective in their worlds and create paths (roads, walls, and bridges).Week 4Lesson 4Player/NPC CodingStudents focus in this lesson is on the differences between coding characters that they control in the game vs NPC (Non-Player Controlled) characters. Students also learn how to use character's senses in Kodu to code them to automatically react to their environment.Week 5Lesson 5Power UpsStudents learn how to use advanced logic in Kodu to code characters to gain new abilities after an event in the game. For example, they code a player character to gain an ability to shoot missiles after collecting a power-up item.Week 6Lesson 6Final GamesStudents follow a planning guide to develop an idea for a final game that will require them to take everything they learned to create. Students work on creating their games and then share them with the class.
Students learn to... --Program logic to code characters’ behaviors and reactions to events in their games. All programming in Kodu is WHEN/DO (similar to IF/THEN statements). --Use the tools available in Kodu to create land, water, mountains, buildings, and more. --Create more advanced coding to give their characters power-ups. This involves creating parallel programming that changes the behavior of their characters based on a specific event. --Complete game design planning prior to starting their final projects to create the best video game possible.
I have been teaching technology, coding, and 21st century skills for nearly 15 years. I am a certified elementary teacher in PA and have a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I also have run my own educational technology business in the past. My goal is to help kids learn the skills they need in today's world, but also help them believe they can be the creators of new technology instead of simply consuming it.
Homework Offered
Assessments Offered
Students are encouraged to submit their final game for feedback from the teacher. In my feedback, I will always start with a compliment on your work, provide some suggestions for future games, and sometimes will give help or tips.Grades Offered
Important: Kodu currently only runs on Windows. Please test running Kodu prior to signing up for the class. Kodu is a free download at https://www.kodugamelab.com/
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Hello! My name is Shawn Walk from Create2Discover. I look forward to being your child's teacher as they discover the power of coding. I have been an educator for over 17 years. I was a 4th/5th grade teacher for 11 years at an elementary school...
Self-Paced Class
$9
weekly or $51 for all content6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Ages: 7-10