The Learning Games Network recently posted a new video that follows a workshop for the new Boy Scouts game design merit badge. View the video to see the progressive work that young designers are doing to learn and design games!

Jennifer Thompson, the Coordinator for Young Adult Services, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), answers questions on how BPL integrated youth gaming into their programs and resources. The slides from Jen on her games program at Brooklyn Public Library can also be found in the Museums and Libraries section.

How does gaming tie to the mission of BPL? What is the value of gaming for BPL? As adamant supporters and proponents of educational and recreational information, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) advocates for and promotes the use of gaming for teens in our communities. In the 7 years we’ve had gaming at BPL, we’ve seen our teens learn the value of teamwork, the importance of encouraging others to do well and a general increase in their social skills, click to play Casino Slots Forum and improve your gaming skills.

How do/could games relate back to the resources available at BPL? We have a tremendous amount

s. of information about gaming. We offer books and articles about careers in gaming, how to design games and research on gaming trends. And for those that are serious about world-building in games, fantasy and science fiction books are excellent inspiration! Books with game and character tie-ins are also popular and sometimes are a draw for reluctant readers.

Tell us about the STEM Challenge workshops at BPL:

What did you learn from running the workshops? We learned that there is interest from not only teens but younger children and adults in video game design. Many parents were impressed that we were offering STEM-related programming and were excited to learn that the library would be offering more gaming design and STEM programming in the near future.
What were the challenges in getting the workshops together? Originally, we had the workshops (Part I and Part II) scheduled for two Saturdays in February. However, due to an upgrade to our online computer system, the library was closed for one of the weekends and we had to reschedule one of the workshops. Luckily, all of the organizations worked very well together and communicated quickly to ensure the teens had a great time and didn’t miss out on any information!

Advice for other libraries:

What resources (aside from computers) might a library need to run a successful workshop? What resources might they already have that are a natural fit? When running a workshop for teens, I’ve found that having snacks is incredibly helpful. I also offer free books to the participants as well as flyers for upcoming programs. They need an enthusiastic facilitator who likes working with teens and someone who can troubleshoot if the equipment is having issues.

How do you develop gaming skills or run a gaming workshop for kids when these skills/ideas may be new to the institution/facilitator? Developing gaming skills needs practice and patience. Learn from the teens around you and watch what they do. Teens love sharing knowledge about their passions with adults. If you’re interested in running a gaming workshop and you’ve never done so before, start small and work with local kids/teens at your branch. Block off a few computers on an afternoon or weekend and try something like the STEM video challenge. And once again, look to the teens as inspiration. Ask them for their ideas and incorporate them into the workshop. Chances are that they’ll come up with some very creative, fun ideas for a workshop! And don’t forget to tap into local gaming stores or clubs for additional support or expertise from the community.

Video game artist Lisette Titre took some time to answer questions from the STEM Challenge community recently. Check out her responses to aspiring game designers in this video.

Thank you, Lisette!

Lisette Titre has been a digital artist for over twelve years. As a digital modeler, she takes data from scanned images, concept art, and photographs and creates beautiful 3-D digital sculptures. She her artistic skills include special effects, environment modeling, and texture painting. In addition, she has also managed teams of artists in China, Australia, Canada, and India. Lisette has contributed to some of EA’s highest profile games, including Tiger Woods Golf, The Simpsons, Dante’s Inferno, and Zombie Apocalypse 2. Her most recent release is Dance Central 3 co-developed with Harmonix.

(reposted with permission from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center blog)

Rhys, 10, is an aspiring game designer in Texas who uses Gamestar Mechanic to create worlds to play in. He talks about the importance of stories and creating challenges to engage players.

Thanks to Edutopia and PBS for sharing this video from the upcoming documentary Is School Enough? More videos in the Web series (on Edutopia) and an hour-long broadcast special (on PBS) to come in Fall 2013.

(reposted with permission from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center blog).

Dan Roy: We choose a subject accounting for our interests, what we think is needed, what funders or partners would like to see, and what makes sense to learn through a game. After choosing a subject, we focus on specific aspects that feel the most playful, fit a game model we can imagine, and match the resources we have available. Each project is different.

We have a lot of resources available to you to help fit game making into your lesson plans. Check out our mentor resource kit!

In the platform-specific categories (e.g. Gamestar, Scratch, Gamemaker and Kodu), you must use the the freely-available version of those
tools (including special versions made available specially for the Challenge as we do in Gamestar for example).

In the Open Platform category, you can use any tool you want, including paid tools. The only requirement is that the game you make
must be playable by the judges without them having to install or purchase any special hardware or software.

Dan Roy: When designing a new game, we go through many rounds of prototyping and playtesting. We usually start on paper, and then build digital versions over time. We play these prototypes internally first, then invite our target audience to join us in the studio, and sometimes go to schools, libraries, or community centers. We tell players very little before they start, and let them guess and ask questions along the way. We’re always teaching two things simultaneously – the subject and how to play the game. We watch for what players expect the game to do and where they get stuck. We often build in levels, so players can find the right degree of challenge for them. If players can succeed at the game, they are usually demonstrating mastery of what we hope they’ll learn. Just to be sure, we ask them what they’re thinking both while they play and afterwards to see how they’re hypotheses evolve. In structured pilots, we sometimes do pre- and post-tests to measure learning. In the final versions, we track performance to report back to players and teachers.

Your game can be about ANY topic. It doesn’t have to be about education though it certainly could teach players something new. Choose something that interests you and that you think others would be interested in. This is your chance to let your game making creativity run wild! Have fun!

Our amazing partners at Learning Games Network (LGN) have put together a few videos on game design basics. Click the link below to view the video. (And thanks, LGN!)

The awesome team at LGN