Teaching+Game+Design

= **GAMING: DIGITAL LITERACY. . .** =

An iPhone physics-based puzzle game designed by a 14-year-old teenager has officially bumped another iOS physics-based puzzle game created by a team of 17 developers from its number one perch. It's called Bubble Ball. It’s the new “Top Free” app in the iOS App Store, besting popular Angry Birds. toc

If your teachers or afterschool program directors are looking for new ways to engage students, they might want to explore teaching game design. There are great apps available for the Mac.

**GAMESTAR MECHANIC**
Entirely a browser-based experience, Gamestar Mechanic offers a teaching guide and requires no prior knowledge of gaming or gaming design in order to teach. Choose between a free version or various premium packages that allow management of the program:

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**SCRATCH**
Scratch is a programming language developed by the //Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab// that aims to make it easy to create interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share the results on the web.

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It also offers resources for teachers:

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**GAME MAKER**
Game Maker prides itself that it doesn't require writing a single line of code. It features drag-and-drop actions. However, when students become more experienced, there is a built-in programming language, which gives them the full flexibility of creating games. Game Maker can be used free of charge. < __[]__ >

Every January there is a national STEM video game challenge aimed at middle school students. This link gives more details:

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Blog
And now that you are thinking about games, check out Ruben R. Puentedura's Weblog about educational gaming: **Ruben R. Puentedura's Weblog < __[]__ >** < __[]__ >