10.2 Smart Selection of Sprites

Big Ideas for this lesson 
Guiding Questions          
Recommended Games     
Types of sprites used in the game can affect the level of challenge in a game. Which sprites create challenge for players based on their special properties?

How does the placement of sprites in a game space affect the level of challenge in a game?
The Enemy Maze

Nocturne Hedges

What's on for today:

In this lesson students explore and compare different ways of designing challenge in a game through the use of obstacles, traps, damage blocks, and complex goals.

What you need:

-Multiple copies of “Playtester feedback worksheet” per student

What's attached:

-Playtester feedback worksheet


Total: 1 hour

Design - 30 minutes
Playtest and Iterate - 20 minutes
Discuss - 10 minutes

30 minutes

1. Challenge students to design a Gamestar Mechanic game that meets one or more of the following criteria:

    Design a game filled with dangerous obstacles.

    Design a game with enemies of different abilities.

    Design a game with as many different kinds of sprites as possible.

    Design a game without blocks.

Playtest and Iterate
20 minutes

1. Have the students come up with two or three areas they want feedback on in their game.

2. During a playtesting round, have playtesters respond to these questions, either in writing or in direct feedback to the designers.

10 minutes

Initiate a discussion based on the following:

What were some different ways that people designed challenge into their game?

What strategies did you use to make your game fun and challenging at the same time?

What is the hardest part about designing a game that is challenging but beatable?

How did it go?

Were students able to reflect on the strategies they used to make their game challenging but fun?

Were they able to design games that met the criteria they had been assigned?

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Jan 4, 2011, 8:25 AM