Video Game Design/Developers

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.

I have three classes (I took over mid-year...so I am trying to honestly figure out what to do/how to do it):

CS Discoveries (Code.org curriculum) - End of year will coincide with finishing up physical computing with circuit boards, so they will have a prototype project for that

Game Design 1/2 (currently 2D Games in Construct) -
Game Design 3/4 (currently 3D games in Unity) - 

Hoping to essentially do the same final for both of these courses, but with one being in 2D other being in 3D. I would like to have small team projects and have them go through a full game creation cycle. Definitely worried about their skillset/amount of freedom this will give them though. I was thinking I'd implement small team standups to start these classes to try and keep groups focused and accountable. And do to their skillsets, I was thinking I'd have a day or two of research for resources that can help them learn what they need for their projects.

Also, I am just new to developing team/leadership skills in my students. I am finding that my knowledge, explanations, and ability to cheer students on are some of my kind of natural assets as a new teacher. But my class management/inspiring collaboration need some work.

Any advice on any of the above would be...AMAZING!

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.

My 1st year students (Game Design Principles) just wrapped up a board game project based on an historical event, along with supporting documentation. They will be presenting their game to a panel the formal day of the final.
My 2nd year students (Digital Game Design) submitted a Unity game project of their choice (with some restrictions) they worked on throughout the school year. I gave them too much time, so I will be sure to tighten up some deadlines for next year. The quality of projects varies WILDLY, the amount of time provided caused students to work without a sense of urgency. They will also be taking some coding exams (general coding principles and C# specific) next week, and the day of the final I will have them do a task from the Microsoft Excel World Championships to get some spreadsheet practice.

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.

I feel you on the too much time thing. My seniors work on a Capstone project during the 2nd semester of their senior year in my class. They have to form a team, come up with a game idea, and then build it. At the end of the year they present it to the class. I was hoping to have some industry partners come see the presentations, but I don't even have any industry partners. I gave lots of time and some days of "studio work time" and some groups used the time wisely, and some did not. I too have to figure this out better for next year. My structure of the Capstone last year was too tightly controlled, this year was too loosely rolled out, next year I hope it will be just right.

My school supposedly has been doing senior Capstones for decades but what I found out last year, my first year at the school, everyone says they do Capstones, but they mostly don't. I had this huge plan, multi step, multi month, deep dive, and most students were like, we're seniors, in the spring semester, you are out of your mind if you think we are doing all that. And they didn't. Some finished a game, some had progress to show, and some had nothing.

This year was more flexible to allow for obsessed students to deep dive and less interested students could make something smaller in scale but fulfill the requirements. This has resulted in WILDLY varying project quality. I have to do something different next year for the Capstone.

I don't give the seniors a final because I really want the Capstone to be more rigorous than a final, but I think the entire school has to be on board with upgrading Capstone reqs before we can get to that. Also, we have to sign a "Senior Clearance Form" a couple weeks before graduation to alert admin of any students who are in danger of not passing and not graduating. In order for the final to matter for the clearance form, I'd have to give the final early, during Capstone preparation, and then grade it, all rushed, to get that data into the clearance form, instead of having that time for work time for the Capstone.

I'm in year 19 but year 2 at this school. I have to better figure out how to match my expectations and my Capstone plans to the way school does things. 

I was planning on giving my juniors a performance final. I give them a starter project and they have to write a player controller script to make the character move. They have to make a few collisions happen, player and obstacle, player and enemy, player and powerup, etc. Then they have to keep score. We have a 2 hour block for the final so I want it to be something that just repeats the major exercises from CwC. If you have been doing them all year, it will be easy, and you can use your prototypes as examples. If you have been faking it, you won't be able to do it. 2 hour limit means you can use internet resources as well, but if you have no idea what's going on, no amount of time will matter.

My 1st year students (Game Design Principles) just wrapped up a board game project based on an historical event, along with supporting documentation. They will be presenting their game to a panel the formal day of the final.
My 2nd year students (Digital Game Design) submitted a Unity game project of their choice (with some restrictions) they worked on throughout the school year. I gave them too much time, so I will be sure to tighten up some deadlines for next year. The quality of projects varies WILDLY, the amount of time provided caused students to work without a sense of urgency. They will also be taking some coding exams (general coding principles and C# specific) next week, and the day of the final I will have them do a task from the Microsoft Excel World Championships to get some spreadsheet practice.

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.

I feel you on the too much time thing. My seniors work on a Capstone project during the 2nd semester of their senior year in my class. They have to form a team, come up with a game idea, and then build it. At the end of the year they present it to the class. I was hoping to have some industry partners come see the presentations, but I don't even have any industry partners. I gave lots of time and some days of "studio work time" and some groups used the time wisely, and some did not. I too have to figure this out better for next year. My structure of the Capstone last year was too tightly controlled, this year was too loosely rolled out, next year I hope it will be just right.

My school supposedly has been doing senior Capstones for decades but what I found out last year, my first year at the school, everyone says they do Capstones, but they mostly don't. I had this huge plan, multi step, multi month, deep dive, and most students were like, we're seniors, in the spring semester, you are out of your mind if you think we are doing all that. And they didn't. Some finished a game, some had progress to show, and some had nothing.

This year was more flexible to allow for obsessed students to deep dive and less interested students could make something smaller in scale but fulfill the requirements. This has resulted in WILDLY varying project quality. I have to do something different next year for the Capstone.

I don't give the seniors a final because I really want the Capstone to be more rigorous than a final, but I think the entire school has to be on board with upgrading Capstone reqs before we can get to that. Also, we have to sign a "Senior Clearance Form" a couple weeks before graduation to alert admin of any students who are in danger of not passing and not graduating. In order for the final to matter for the clearance form, I'd have to give the final early, during Capstone preparation, and then grade it, all rushed, to get that data into the clearance form, instead of having that time for work time for the Capstone.

I'm in year 19 but year 2 at this school. I have to better figure out how to match my expectations and my Capstone plans to the way school does things. 

I was planning on giving my juniors a performance final. I give them a starter project and they have to write a player controller script to make the character move. They have to make a few collisions happen, player and obstacle, player and enemy, player and powerup, etc. Then they have to keep score. We have a 2 hour block for the final so I want it to be something that just repeats the major exercises from CwC. If you have been doing them all year, it will be easy, and you can use your prototypes as examples. If you have been faking it, you won't be able to do it. 2 hour limit means you can use internet resources as well, but if you have no idea what's going on, no amount of time will matter.

My 1st year students (Game Design Principles) just wrapped up a board game project based on an historical event, along with supporting documentation. They will be presenting their game to a panel the formal day of the final.
My 2nd year students (Digital Game Design) submitted a Unity game project of their choice (with some restrictions) they worked on throughout the school year. I gave them too much time, so I will be sure to tighten up some deadlines for next year. The quality of projects varies WILDLY, the amount of time provided caused students to work without a sense of urgency. They will also be taking some coding exams (general coding principles and C# specific) next week, and the day of the final I will have them do a task from the Microsoft Excel World Championships to get some spreadsheet practice.

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.

Hey guys I was out yesterday, so I am a day late with the check in.

What is the final for your current classes.

Game Dev 1 (Analog Game Design) Has a two part final:
a. An analog game based on a digital game of their choice (obviously with my approval)
b. a career exploration project where they research their "dream job" in the industry and how to get it.

Game Dev 2 (Graphics) will make either a 2D or 3D game art asset of their choice and present their process for it.