Video Game Design/Developers

Last week my seniors, year 2 students, started on their Capstone projects. They work as a team to make a playable game and then present their games at the Walt Disney Museum in SF. I'm trying to do more of a major overhaul to my project. I don't think my students can do as much as in years past so I have to pare it down a little.

Awhile ago we shared some documents we give to students for stuff like this. Is anyone up for this again?

Mine normall prepare

a GDD

a mood board

concept art

a business and marketing plan

a github repo everyone on the team uses

a game trailer

a creative writing project about their game lore

this year they'll publish on Itch

probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

I'm doing much better after my accident, but still have some memory issues so it feels overwhelming to launch a huge project. My memory and student skill level makes me pause a little.

What about your students feels off for you? Is it a skill thing? A motivation thing? Something else?

Last week my seniors, year 2 students, started on their Capstone projects. They work as a team to make a playable game and then present their games at the Walt Disney Museum in SF. I'm trying to do more of a major overhaul to my project. I don't think my students can do as much as in years past so I have to pare it down a little.

Awhile ago we shared some documents we give to students for stuff like this. Is anyone up for this again?

Mine normall prepare

a GDD

a mood board

concept art

a business and marketing plan

a github repo everyone on the team uses

a game trailer

a creative writing project about their game lore

this year they'll publish on Itch

probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

I'm doing much better after my accident, but still have some memory issues so it feels overwhelming to launch a huge project. My memory and student skill level makes me pause a little.

I think the first thing is that in my absence in the fall, I was on medical leave for 3 months, the very moderate amount of work I left both my year 1 and year 2 students was NOT done. Since I went on leave after week 5, for most year 2 students, it means they hadn't picked up our game engine and tried doing ANYTHING even for fun, since last May. They forgot a lot and thought they'd pick it back up more quickly than they are.

It's also a pure skill thing too. Last year's graduating seniors got into mostly the best UC schools and best programs and they were really motivated and hard working. Their games showed it. This year's seniors are nice and friendly, but they almost never do anything outside of school so they only learned so much. On top of that, we moved to a 7 period bell schedule this year and only see our classes 3 times per week. The kids are loving it but us teachers hate it because it takes so long to get anything done.

They also are gloriously overconfident in what they can accomplish. Watching them try to plan, they cut every corner and try to take every shortcut and I'm certain they won't build 70% of the game they say they are making. I keep intervening but sometimes I think they are irritated that I don't just let them be and try anyway. I suppose I could, but that's what us experienced teachers have, we KNOW when a plan is not likely to work AND what to tighten up to get better results. I just don't have the fight in me this year. If they want to flounder, they can flounder, but everyone knows we'll be on stage, in the theater, and the Walt Disney Museum in SF to present, so be ready.

My juniors are something else too. I have 35 in one class and 36 in another class. I have at least 10 per class that are chronically absent. It's hard to want to plan with community partners when so many are disinterested and disengaged. Some of my partners really had hesitations working with high school students so I don't want them to confirm they didn't want to. It's a bit of a pickle. Others clearly are ready willing and able to do the work, but my chronically absent students come and go as they please with no consequences from the school. The only I can give is a failing grade, which they seem not to care about. I'm not bring any of them to GDC or other field trips we go on because I can't trust them.

I think I'm feeling all the weight of the events of the country right now so me too, I'm down as well. I've been looking around at other schools, but few have Game Design programs, and the budgets are not good right now to start a new Pathway. Many are interested in bringing a Game Design Pathway to their school but funding is tight, and maybe non-existant if the department of education is abolished. Would we even keep getting the Perkins grant for our CTE courses.

The only way past it, is through it, so I suppose I'll go back another year and try to get to the other side, and see what's over there . . .

What about your students feels off for you? Is it a skill thing? A motivation thing? Something else?

Last week my seniors, year 2 students, started on their Capstone projects. They work as a team to make a playable game and then present their games at the Walt Disney Museum in SF. I'm trying to do more of a major overhaul to my project. I don't think my students can do as much as in years past so I have to pare it down a little.

Awhile ago we shared some documents we give to students for stuff like this. Is anyone up for this again?

Mine normall prepare

a GDD

a mood board

concept art

a business and marketing plan

a github repo everyone on the team uses

a game trailer

a creative writing project about their game lore

this year they'll publish on Itch

probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

I'm doing much better after my accident, but still have some memory issues so it feels overwhelming to launch a huge project. My memory and student skill level makes me pause a little.

I think the first thing is that in my absence in the fall, I was on medical leave for 3 months, the very moderate amount of work I left both my year 1 and year 2 students was NOT done. Since I went on leave after week 5, for most year 2 students, it means they hadn't picked up our game engine and tried doing ANYTHING even for fun, since last May. They forgot a lot and thought they'd pick it back up more quickly than they are.

It's also a pure skill thing too. Last year's graduating seniors got into mostly the best UC schools and best programs and they were really motivated and hard working. Their games showed it. This year's seniors are nice and friendly, but they almost never do anything outside of school so they only learned so much. On top of that, we moved to a 7 period bell schedule this year and only see our classes 3 times per week. The kids are loving it but us teachers hate it because it takes so long to get anything done.

They also are gloriously overconfident in what they can accomplish. Watching them try to plan, they cut every corner and try to take every shortcut and I'm certain they won't build 70% of the game they say they are making. I keep intervening but sometimes I think they are irritated that I don't just let them be and try anyway. I suppose I could, but that's what us experienced teachers have, we KNOW when a plan is not likely to work AND what to tighten up to get better results. I just don't have the fight in me this year. If they want to flounder, they can flounder, but everyone knows we'll be on stage, in the theater, and the Walt Disney Museum in SF to present, so be ready.

My juniors are something else too. I have 35 in one class and 36 in another class. I have at least 10 per class that are chronically absent. It's hard to want to plan with community partners when so many are disinterested and disengaged. Some of my partners really had hesitations working with high school students so I don't want them to confirm they didn't want to. It's a bit of a pickle. Others clearly are ready willing and able to do the work, but my chronically absent students come and go as they please with no consequences from the school. The only I can give is a failing grade, which they seem not to care about. I'm not bring any of them to GDC or other field trips we go on because I can't trust them.

I think I'm feeling all the weight of the events of the country right now so me too, I'm down as well. I've been looking around at other schools, but few have Game Design programs, and the budgets are not good right now to start a new Pathway. Many are interested in bringing a Game Design Pathway to their school but funding is tight, and maybe non-existant if the department of education is abolished. Would we even keep getting the Perkins grant for our CTE courses.

The only way past it, is through it, so I suppose I'll go back another year and try to get to the other side, and see what's over there . . .

What about your students feels off for you? Is it a skill thing? A motivation thing? Something else?

Last week my seniors, year 2 students, started on their Capstone projects. They work as a team to make a playable game and then present their games at the Walt Disney Museum in SF. I'm trying to do more of a major overhaul to my project. I don't think my students can do as much as in years past so I have to pare it down a little.

Awhile ago we shared some documents we give to students for stuff like this. Is anyone up for this again?

Mine normall prepare

a GDD

a mood board

concept art

a business and marketing plan

a github repo everyone on the team uses

a game trailer

a creative writing project about their game lore

this year they'll publish on Itch

probably other stuff I'm forgetting.

I'm doing much better after my accident, but still have some memory issues so it feels overwhelming to launch a huge project. My memory and student skill level makes me pause a little.