Game Design

Tristan has a great friend, Kaya who is designing a computer game for the Huckleberry Hill project.  He is using a game design platform called Game Design 1. Tristan has decided to learn the platform too so that he can make games and have something fun to do with his friend.  The program has good reviews and the nice thing about it, is that you can continue with courses that build on what you have already learned.  The next unit is Game Design 2, followed by Game Design 3D 1 & 2,  and then App Design.  I would love Tristan to be able to make an app.  It is a program designed for 8-14 year olds and is only for the PC.  It is made by Youth Digital.

Tristan completed the first two modules this week and so far so good, he really likes it.  There is a funky teenager who delivers these short video tutorials, full of humor and silliness, the perfect combination for a 9 year old!  You earn points and get cool stuff! (like lasers) to put in your game.

To make a game you have to master this program called Multifusion 2.  You have to program each little object on the game screen to react as you want it to.  It is an exercise in logic and problem solving and just the right amount of challenging for Tristan so that he can do it independently (which I like!)


It would be great to find a couple more kids to do it so we can make a little game making community.  He plans to put his little games on his blog.  Maybe it will turn into a website over time.

(I bought Game Design 1 from the Homeschoolers buyers coop and received the 30% discount.  I found out about it from this wonderful lady at Frogcreek!)





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Meanwhile Tristan's Minecraft Club is taking off.  Now the library has increased capacity and the room was filled to brim with noisy boys!


It was so nice for me to meet other Mom's with boys in neighboring towns my son's age. It was fun to share ideas about safe servers and other resources out there for kids to use.

Also this week we were contacted by a mother in a neighboring town who wants to set up a club in her local library.  She had seen an article (or ad?) for Tristan's club in Parenting Magazine.  During the week Tristan made some web tutorials showing how to get Minecraft skins and how to share your LANworld with your friends.  He used iMovie and it was very easy to do.

We showed the tutorials on the big screen at the library, however the sound was an issue.
A room of boys playing Minecraft is loud, and the sound was drowned out.  Instead we are sending links to the club members.