Game Design & Animation
Scratch
Scratch is an animation/game design website from MIT.Users create accounts and program either on their online site, or by downloading the software. It's designed for upper elementary and middle school students, but can be used by people of all ages. While it seems simple, it's possible to do very complex programming with Scratch. Scratch also pairs well with numerous outside devices, such as Finch and Makey Makey. To learn more about Scratch or see lesson we've previously presented, click here. |
Alice
Alice is 3D animation from Carngie Mellon University. Students can use Alice to create animations and interactive games. Like Scratch, the programming format is drop and drag, but it's more advanced than Scratch. Alice is geared toward middle school or high school students. Concepts such as loops, methods, functions, and more can be easily incorporated using Alice. Alice 3 allows user to switch between the Alice drop and drag format and Javascript. |
GameStar Mechanic
"Gamestar Mechanic is a game and community designed to teach kids the principles of game design and systems thinking in a highly engaging environment. It is designed for 7- to 14-year-olds but is open to everyone. We've included features in Gamestar that make it useful for kids playing the game on their own or with family members at home, as well as in moderated and educational settings. For more information about the features of Gamestar Mechanic and the learning theory behind it, please see the For Parents and For Teachers sections." source: http://gamestarmechanic.com/_ |
Floors
Remember drawing video games as a kid, back when you could only dream of those games coming to life? We do too, which is why we’re building the first mobile platform that allows you (and your kids) to create your own games, just by drawing them. Unlike other platforms that provide little framework and often require code or complex processes, Pixel Press focuses on letting the player design and customize the challenge of the game, around an established framework. source: http://www.projectpixelpress.com/floors/ |
Kodu
Kodu lets kids create games on the PC and Xbox via a simple visual programming language. Kodu can be used to teach creativity, problem solving, storytelling, as well as programming. Anyone can use Kodu to make a game, young children as well as adults with no design or programming skills. source: http://www.kodugamelab.com/ |