Input from screens for people collectively and students individually occupy much of their time. Specifically, video games are frequently played by students. Students have the ability to create new characters or create themselves to explore in a new world when they play video games. Giving students the opportunity to create their own game can elaborate on their identity formation and interests. When referring to the SAMR Model, creating a video game redefines what was previously capable for students to create. I created my own game in Scratch to experience the process of self-discovery and tinkering.
My game consists of a pug who is trying to prepare for the party she is hosting. In the game you take on the role of the pug and try to collect all of the items she needs for the party before running out of time while avoiding the vacuums. I used inspiration from the game Pac-Man to create Preppin’ Party Pug as well as my dog, Tiby, who is a pug. I was able to apply my interests in the way I saw it best suited to be applicable. When students create the idea for the game, it is important to give them total freedom to explore their interests. If they are working on an assignment that it interesting to them, they will be intrinsically motivated and less prone to the idea of settling or giving up. Students will also have the opportunity to think about the ways that visual, audio and movement influence their game. It is important to let your students explore other games on Scratch before they commit to something because they may be exposed to a new idea that influences the content of their game. Allowing students to have this time emphasizes that when they share their work, they can contribute to the greater world of visual culture on a global scale. How exciting it must be to have the opportunity to have anyone in the world play the game you created by yourself.
Another strong component to the creation of your own video game is the time to tinker with the building blocks as you program and create scripts for your sprites. I was able to put my problem solving to the test while creating my own video game. I expanded outward from the Scratch website to Youtube to discover how others put pieces together to create specific actions. I would follow some tutorials and then go back to Scratch and modify them by brainstorming all of the other ways I could expand on the simple function programmed. I constantly caught myself saying to myself, “well, what if I try this?”. There was no end to what was imaginable in my mind. I discovered a disconnect from the problem solving I did in math class to the problem solving I was doing in the game. I never felt like giving up when I became frustrated and I was actually solving problems, not simply copying how to solve a problem from the teacher. To be fair, I did view some tutorials to help guide me initially, but I constantly found myself trying to create challenges and grow the length of my scripts to elaborate on my characters abilities. I felt empowered by the critical thinking I was doing.
Allowing children to explore topics of interest enhances their motivation to learn. Video games are a big topic of interest to children and for those who are not, such as I, you find ways in which the narrative of the game pulls you towards new inventive ways to elaborate. Students can find passion in learning when they create a video game. I highly recommend that teachers find time to incorporate this activity into their curriculum. Before they introduce the project to the class, I strongly suggest that they take the time to create their own video game to understand all of the benefits students will receive. My short synopsis does not justify all of the spectacular benefits that this activity has to offer. Before you create your own, I encourage you to look at my game as your first idea generator. Enjoy the journey of tinkering in Scratch!
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/208656259/
Below: Screenshot of "Preppin' Party Pug"
