Great tool for getting started and engaging some learners who might not have been engaged before.
Community Review for Gamestar Mechanic
My Take
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.
How I Use It
I used Gamestart Mechanic in the context of the Mouse Create program. Some students who were not engaged became fascinated and motivated using this program. The students who found this too generic are the students who are motivated to want to make more original work so they just worked alongside the others, learning the principles of Gamestar Mechanic but then going on additional paths to create original art.