Beyond Programming: The Power of Making Games

A Broader Perspective for Learning 

Art and creative expression have an interesting way of weaving in and out of classrooms, offering students the opportunity to explore their own ideas and minds. Through easily accessible programs such as Scratch and Gamemaker, students from early elementary up through college are creating games and learning while doing it. We hope this information will help teachers who are constructing game development classes, and show the broader view of the value inherent in game development that professional game makers can provide.

 "Creating something out of nothing. It's the closest thing to magic I can think of." 

Game Development Is Far More than Just Plain Old Programming 

Making computer games can be a great entry point into computer science. Writing code is a major part of making video games, and professionals surveyed said that programming was a key element of game development. Basic thrill of programming for game development is to make games enjoyable for others. This consideration for how others experience games is at the heart of game development, in the form of both imagining another's experience of the game and direct feedback by users. It's not coding just to code, it is coding to create something fun for others. 

"Game creation is an art of understanding and bending perception of a user... Even if it is ultimately used outside the scope of game creation."

The Value in Game Development Goes Beyond Strictly 'Academic' Values  

Game developers indicated that one can hone many non-academic skills through the process of creating games such as teamwork, persistence, empathy, willingness to fail, project management, critical thinking, risk and reward analysis and goal setting. Making games requires one to think critically about their own ideas and their ultimate goals for their project. Being able to look objectively at ideas, decide what is realistic, and make a plan to move forward requires a high level of thinking and planning. Game development is an excellent opportunity for students to express themselves creatively. 

 "You need to be creative, open minded to anything that comes at you. You need to think outside of reality. You also need to be determined and focused."

Learning To Fail and Discovering Abilities We Didn't Know We Had Is Perhaps Most Important 

Developers referred to the cyclical process of game design, where an action is followed by testing and revision, or iteration. That grit and determination, the willingness to keep working in order to make the game "work," is all part of the constructivist mindset that game development entails. 

"The breakthrough moment when you look at the sum total of all the known work lying in a disorganized pile in front of you, then suddenly realizing what you can do to make it all logically fit together." 

Seizing the Opportunity 

We have to help make the more holistic aspects of game development explicit for students. Even if they work in a team, thinking critically about solving problems and demonstrating qualities such as perseverance and determination are capacities that students should recognize they are learning. A current focus in many schools is coding and computer science. We think that courses such as game development provide a great way to teach those skills but allow for other important skills to emerge, especially creative and artistic elements. Professionals see the possibilities more broadly and we can learn from that. We believe that if we don't try to capture some of the breadth inherent to game development, we may miss its powerful educational opportunity.