Lesson: Game Design
In this lesson, students learn the elements of game design and make a prototype game, then give feedback on other students’ games.
Grade range: 7-8
Teacher Material: https://pressbooks.pub/mediasmarts/chapter/game-elements/
Student Material: https://pressbooks.pub/mediasmarts/chapter/game-design-analysis/
Time Frame
| One class period (60 minutes) | Two or three class periods (120-180 minutes) | Extended Unit |
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| Activities |
Game Elements
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Game Elements Game Design Designing Games
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Game Elements
Game Design Designing Games Making Games |
Preparation:
Watch the Instant Expert video on teaching game design below:
The interactive video includes knowledge-check questions. If you would rather watch the video without the questions, you can do so here.
- If possible, bring a variety of board games for students to play during the Game Elements activity, or have students bring games.
- Make sure that you are able to show the embedded videos or that students are able to access the links.
- Make sure that students are able to access the interactive activities.
Note that the board game Risk is used as an example in the game analysis. If there is a significant number of students who are not familiar with it, have them access the student chapter How to Play Risk or play it for the class.
Learning Outcomes
Big ideas/key concepts: Students will understand that…
Media are constructions:
- Media works such as games were made by people who made choices that affect the final work
Each medium has a unique aesthetic form:
- Different media forms have different rules of notice that media creators use to draw and direct attention.
Digital media experiences are shaped by the tools we use:
- Games have rules and structures that govern how they work and are meant to be played
Essential knowledge: Students will know…
- Reading media: The basic elements of game design, including goals, core dynamics, game mechanics, components, rules, and spaces
- Making and remixing: The iterative process of game design, including prototyping, playtesting, and receiving feedback
Key vocabulary: Goal, core dynamic, game mechanics, components, rules, spaces, prototype, playtesting, iterate
Performance tasks: Students will be able to…
- Use: Create a media work
- Understand: Analyze games in terms of their design and mechanics
- Engage: Give informed and effective feedback on peers’ media work
Curriculum Connections
Strand A: Literacy Connections and Applications
A2. Digital Media Literacy
A2.4 Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
evaluate the use of the various forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, consider the impact on the audience, and apply this understanding when analyzing and creating texts.
A2.5 Media, Audience, and Production
demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of texts, the intended and unintended audience, and the purpose for production.
A2.6 Innovation and Design
select and use appropriate digital and media tools to support the design process and address authentic, relevant, real-world problems by developing and proposing innovative solutions
Strand D:Composition (Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts)
D1. Developing Ideas and Organizing Content
D1.1 Purpose and Audience
identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various texts they plan to create, and analyze why the chosen text form, genre, and medium suit the purpose and audience, and how they will help communicate the intended meaning
D1.2 Developing Ideas
generate and develop ideas and details about challenging topics, such as topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to other subject areas, using a variety of strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences
D1.4 Organizing Content
classify and sequence ideas and collected information, selecting effective strategies and tools, and identify and organize relevant content, evaluating the choices of text form, genre, and medium, and considering alternatives
D3 Publishing, Presenting and Reflecting
D3.1 Producing Final Texts
produce final texts using appropriate techniques and tools, including digital design and production tools, to achieve the intended effect
D3.2 Publishing and Presenting Texts
publish and present texts they have created, using various media and tools, and evaluate how their choices helped them communicate their intended message
D3.3 Reflecting on Learning
evaluate the strategies and tools they found helpful when publishing and presenting texts, reflect on what they learned at each stage of the creative process, analyze how their texts address various topics, and suggest steps for future improvement as a text creator