PIXEL JAM

It’s your game, go build it!

Context:

Providing a hands on unique opportunity for students to work collaboratively or independently on character design and level building, Pixel Jam creates an exciting in class event seeing participants create a fully playable platform video game. From understanding and developing to prototyping and publishing this stimulating experience enhances student engagement, encourages collaborative thinking and allows for limitless creativity. Building games turns students from content consumers into confident digital creators.

Our workshops are fully customisable, various themes can be set to allow for any cross curricular links to meet the current themes of study and interests of your class.

Overview:

Using the tablets or laptops provided, students will start by delving into an online arcade of existing games. These games have been made by students from previous workshops, offering a look into what the end product of the session could be.

Students will then create and animate the hero of their game. This is done one of two ways, either by building with the Pixel Blocks and Pixel Board and ‘capturing’ the image created or by building directly into the app. 

Next, the newly created hero is inserted into an example game, to test its animation, movement and playability. Depending on the length of session booked, students will continue designing the other game elements such as terrain, hazards, coins, enemies, and power-ups or progress straight on to level design.

Level building can also be done using the Pixel Blocks and Pixel Board approach or simply designing within the app. Level design challenges students to think strategically, applying, analysing, and recalling the knowledge they’ve acquired throughout the workshop. Each block has many possibilities, so creating requires some imagination and calculation. This encourages students to test and evaluate the playability and enjoyment of their work, altering and editing as they go to ensure a good quality end product.

Throughout the workshop students practice the 4Cs of communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking on their journey towards becoming fluent digital creators.

Once completed, not only can students share their game with their class, they can also share it with students around the world, experiencing the joy of others playing their game!

Impact on learning and Curriculum links:

Pixel Jam offers students the opportunity to really show creative flare all while applying computational thinking to make a successful end product.

This workshop is designed to complement the Key Stage 2 & 3 National Curriculum with direct coverage in the following ways: 

• •Design, write and debug
• •Variables and repetition
• •Detect and correct errors
• •Logical Reasoning
• •Explore different software and its purpose
• •Data Storage and Manipulation
• •Use technology safely and for purpose
• •Textual programming language
• •Digital artifacts

Differentiation:

Pixel Jam is accessible and adaptable to students of all abilities. The tactile Pixel Blocks and Pixel Board offer students a physical way to create their work, if they perhaps struggle with app-based technology. Before your workshop is delivered, we will discuss any individual needs your class may have.