![]() Construct 2 is easy enough if you’ve taken the time to work through the tutorials first (plan to spend at least a few hours doing this before presenting it to your class). In short, even if you don’t intend to use it, it’s one you want to keep your eye on. It’s being very actively developed, and the support community is growing fast. The website has a store where you can purchase sounds, music, and more. ![]() It’s very well supported with tutorials, manuals, and materials specifically created for students. ![]() Construct 2Ĭonstruct 2 is a great choice for the classroom.Ĭonstruct 2 is a tool that allegedly makes game creation “effortless.” It is easy to use, and the games you create with it can easily be posted on a website for sharing online. There’s less advantage in mastering a complex scripting language, for instance, if it only works for one tool.īelow, I’ve taken three different tools that I and others have used in the classroom, ranking them from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) in each of these criteria. How transferable is the knowledge they’ll gain by working with the tool? Ideally, they will have learned concepts, principles, and techniques that will apply equally well to other tools. In many cases, developing these things on their own will be much too involved, so it’s nice to know that they can add this functionality with only a few clicks. For example, game creation tools have scripts you can implement to add high score tables, fancy explosions, or even realistic physics. How many assets are freely or cheaply available? By “assets,” I mean stuff like graphics, sprites, sounds, and music, but also scripts or packages students can install to add functionality to their games. If you want students to make games for iOS or Android, you’ll need to make sure the tool supports it. What platforms do you want the resulting games to run on? For maximum compatibility, I prefer a tool that can make games that will play right in your web browser. If, on the other hand, you want students to have the option of creating shoot’em up games, point-and-click adventures, or even first-person shooters, you’ll need something more versatile. If, for instance, you want students to create a text adventure, you’d want something like Inform 7, a very powerful, but intuitive, engine for this kind of game. How versatile is the tool? It’s also important to consider what kind of assignment or project you have in mind. Ideally, students will only need a brief introduction to the tool before they start using it. How much prior knowledge is required before your students can get in there and start making games? In most non-programming classes, there just isn’t time to dedicate to technical instruction. When I’m considering a tool for helping students make games, I have a few criteria in mind: Even better–they’re all free for teachers and students. Better yet, these tools are powerful enough to create great games, even commercial quality games. Fortunately, there are plenty of options out there for teachers who want to teach the basics of game development without having to learn (or explain to wide-eyed students) pointers, classes, and syntax. It seems that it’s becoming more common for professors of humanities to teach this kind of course, even though few of us have the programming chops to teach C++ or Java. One of my favorite former students (who is now enjoying a professor’s job of his own) emailed to ask for my advice on a videogame design course he’s teaching. Thanks to tools like Construct 2, making games has never been easier.
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