Fun and engaging introduction to Game Design and design thinking.
Submitted 9 years ago
Community Review for Gamestar Mechanic
Steve I.
William Annin Middle School
Basking Ridge NJ, US
My Take
Gamestar Mechanic provides a great introduction to design thinking and Game Design. Students play through missions to experience game design elements and apply them as they fix broken games and create their own games.
How I Use It
My 7th graders use Gamestar Mechanic for our Game Design and Digital Storytelling unit. They start by playing through the Quests. Next, they write a comprehensive design document including the story for their game, character descriptions, level descriptions, design elements, etc. Finally, they create their game with built in checkpoints for iteration based on peer review and revision. Kids love it!
More community reviews for Gamestar Mechanic
Susan E.
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
New York, NY
November 2, 2016
Great tool for getting started and engaging some learners who might not have been engaged before.
This software forced students in an engaging way to work through game design principles in order to win the sprites needed to make games. One student realized that he needed additional parts for the game he wanted to make and asked if he could go back to the tutorials to earn more "raw materials" for his own game making. Too often, these types of programs let students play without ever learning. Gamestar Mechanic is good at not doing this - especially in conjunction with the Mouse Create program.
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Audra B.
Educational Technology Integration Specialist
Wheatley School
Old Westbury, NY
July 14, 2015
Cool Interactive Learning and Coding
I think that this is a beautifully rendered and thought out piece of software. I love that my students like it and WANT to use it. I also love that it helps them with critical thinking skills and it helps them adjust their thinking about other types of Coding.
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Dianna S.
Academically Gifted Coordinator
Creech Road Elementary School
Garner, NC
March 4, 2015
Versatile gaming program that helps build design and writing skills.
The tool meets many 21st Century skills. It can assist students with engagement. The program does require the teacher to be familiar with basic design techniques, but there are several lesson plans already developed that can assist some that may be hesitant.
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