Photo of Game Design by George Haines' 4th Grade Class

Game Design by George Haines' 4th Grade Class

By George Haines

Grades/Uses:

Description

A group of 4th grade students were asked to design and create a level for a video game with clear objectives, challenges, and strategies, then had game designers review their submissions. The VoiceThread served as a platform through which the students could describe their work and designers could give constructive feedback.

Assignment

Students designed a level using several components:

  • different types of blocks (as obstacles or design elements)
  • coins
  • “star blocks” for goals
  • a time component
  • enemy NPCs (non-player-characters) to defeat or avoid

Students took a screenshot of their design, which was uploaded to a VoiceThread slide, then recorded their description using the Doodler tool for annotation. The VoiceThread was shared with game designers, who provided thorough feedback and critique of each submitted level design.