While this is not a new concept, the approach here was designed as a library program that would move patrons from children as young as four to adults through the various facets of design at their own pace. Since teaching through game design is not well known to the general public, work was done to include the parents of younger patrons as part of a year-long program emphasizing STEAM throughout the library as a whole. Parents were invited to participate through understanding the key concepts that translated well outside the program and games and into skills that the children could use immediately in their classes. None of this was mentioned to the participants as to keep their focus on creating games of their choice and introducing a new concept every session that built off the previous sessions for those ready for a new challenge. Since the participants were not asked to learn new design techniques, the techniques were provided for those who felt comfortable moving on to the next lessons.
The program was designed to allow library staff to move from one module to the next and be able to revisit previous modules with new game mechanics drawn from the more advanced modules or reinterpretations of the common rules found in that particular class of games. As such, the games were loosely grouped into seven modules to define certain key features that marked those games without regard to genre or complexity. Most of the features introduced this way were listed as submodules with their own handouts and example games which the attendees would have familiarity. Not only did this shortcut the explanatory segment for time’s sake, but it also provided reassurance that they could create similar games.
Children also learn prototyping and that very few materials are needed to make a fun game they can play with family and friends. The low cost of the program fits library needs while also showing participants that they did not need to spend much to get started and explore design elements. Later modules also introduce the use of office productivity software available at virtually all public libraries to move a concept from prototype to beta testing and even finished product with publishing tools and 3-D printing. Failure is encouraged as both experimentation and fun in itself.
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Learning by Design – Introduction, Part 1
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Learning by Design – Introduction, Part 3