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Ask Slashdot: Tools For Teaching High School Kids How To Make Games?
First time accepted submitter nzyank writes "The other day I bravely (foolishly?) volunteered to conduct a video game development workshop at my boys' HS. This in Smallsville, Vermont with an average graduating class size of about 20. The idea is to meet once a week and actually create a game, start to finish. It will be open to would-be programmers, designers, artists, etc. I worked on a bunch of AAA titles back in the '90s, but I'm pretty much out of touch nowadays and I'm trying to figure out the best approach. The requirements are that it has to be one of either Windows/XBox or Android, since those are the platforms that I am current on. It has to be relatively simple for the kids to get up and running quickly, and it needs to be as close to free as possible. Teaching them to use stuff like Blender, C#, C++, Java, XNA, OpenGL and the Android SDK is probably a bit much. I was thinking of something like the Torque Engine, but they want $1000 for an academic license, which is never going to happen. I simply don't know what's out there nowadays and could really use some suggestions."
HTML 5 canvas + javascript runs everywhere that matters. Old basic games (cards, gorillas, donkey, snakes, etc) should be a good target.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
No, because that isn't fun and will just drive them away from programming. Nobody picks up a hobby or starts learning about something because of the technical details of it. They start doing it to accomplish or make something they want. Coding some fun little games (and tons of unfinished ones!) is the best way for kids to keep interest in programming. When I was a kid and also as teen, I really didn't care about algorithms or making myself think about programming as logical way. I wanted to make fun stuff. Everything else came later, after I've already established that programming was fun and I wanted to learn more about it. This included tons of reading and learning which I wouldn't had done without the initial spark in it.
Game programming would be the last thing I would teach to novice kids, as it has several different parts, from low-level hardware-oriented code to networking, high-level scripting, databases and map design, not to mention a non-programming parts like the graphics.
If you really want to create a standalone game I would suggest something simple using Flash. But if you want to get them into game programming (and teach them actual techniques that it needs) get them into modding. There are many games designed to be easily moddable, the instant feedback and success will be a great motivation, and the kids will learn plenty of stuff they can later use.
No, because that isn't fun and will just drive them away from programming. Nobody picks up a hobby or starts learning about something because of the technical details of it. They start doing it to accomplish or make something they want.
Good!
Then people who should not program would not program.
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.