16 pupils from our  S1-S4 classes  attended the launch event for the STEM Gamemaker challenge at Abertay. The pupils along with teams from other local schools produced initial plans for the game concept, and then explained their initial ideas to the other teams. The event finished with an inspirational speech from Brian Baglow a Scottish Computer Games Ambassador. The event was facilitated by Future Fossils a local games company who then acted as mentors for the teams across the city, visiting schools to help with any issues the teams had and provide some guidance. The  teams only had 10 weeks working during lunchtimes, intervals and spare time at home to design, code and promote their idea for a new game.

The pupils had to use a games development tool called Gamemaker, which is produced by the local firm YoYo games, based down on the riverside. The software uses a graphical interface where pupils select objects and attributes and customise them, but at a more advanced level pupils could go underneath this and create their own code using the tool’s programming  language GML. One of the main differences between Gamemaker and something like Scratch is its ability to compile and then export the finished product into a variety of different standalone executables which can run on Android, Apple and PC devices. In fact a number of professional use Gamemaker to write Games which can be purchased from places like iTunes.

Gamemaker has a lot of video based tutorials which users can find on Youtube and on the YoYo games website and has a built in sprite editing facility. YoYo games kindly gifted licences for this professional software development tool to all Secondary schools in Dundee as part of the competition.

Daniel and Phil from the local games company Future Fossil came in at lunchtime to see the progress of our Gamemaker teams. The visitors were very impressed by the enthusiasm and creativity shown by the teams.

Our teams finalised their games and submitted them by the deadline, and two of our teams were fortunate to be selected to go forward to the grand final at YoYo games HQ. The pupils then had a week to prepare a pitch for their game which they would deliver to a Dragon’s Den style panel of professionals in YoYo Games boardroom.

Our teams produced business cards, photostories, animated trailers 3D models and display boards  in order to sell their games to the panel and after a nail-biting morning of pitches on the day of the final our teams achieved first and second place winning personal licences of the Gamemaker software, a STEM goody bag and Game Design books for the school.

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the process which combined a huge amount of learning opportunities from the game design and programming side of things to the social, team working and collaboration skills to the literacy and communication side of selling themselves and their idea to a panel of adults. As their teacher I noticed a boost to the pupils self-esteem and confidence as they progressed through the competition and realised just what they could achieve when they worked together.