Gamestar Mechanic

As new literacies are beginning to become a more fundamental part of every classroom, more and more teachers are using video games to facilitate students’ learning. Programs like Gamestar Mechanic are great tools for teachers as they force students to think and problem solve in a way that they may not normally in a classroom. Gamestar Mechanic allows for the creation of basic video games. Students can develop their own video game from the ground up. This process requires much thought and planning on the students’ parts. Students must take into consideration many questions when designing a video game such as “What are the rules of the game?”, “How will the game be played?”, “What is the end goal of the game?”, “Is there an end goal?”, and many more questions related to the functions of the game. These questions lead students to brainstorm ideas, test their ideas, and assess whether these ideas fit into the overall idea of the game.

            Programs like Gamestar Mechanic also encourage creative writing. Even the most basic of games needs a story of some sort to give meaning to the actions of the player. For example, very few people reference Super Mario Bros as a story driven game. However, most people know Mario’s motivation; he is trying to defeat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach. Students who create simple games on Gamestar Mechanic should be encouraged to give a background story to their character. Maybe the protagonist is running late for school and must complete every level as fast as possible. Or maybe the main character is actually the villain and is on a quest to conquer the universe. Video game design encourages students to think about world building and flesh out a character and a location to give meaning to a game.