Make-a-Game: A Game Making Competition for High School Students in the Netherlands

Speakers: Niels ter Meulen

Track: SGS: Behind the Game

Format: Lecture

Experience Level: All

Description: The SURFnet and Kennisnet collaboration programme aims to develop educational Internet applications for the Dutch education community. Within this programme several projects specifically aimed at the use of games in education have been undertaken in the last three years. This case study provides insight into the results of one of these projects: The Make-a-Game game maker contest. The contest was organized as a pilot in 2005/2006. Teams of two to five high school students and one teacher were challenged to make a game to be used in an educational context, using gamemaker software. The games were judged on playability and fun by fellow students and on its educational value by teachers. A jury of experts determined the final winner.

This case study describes how the competition came about, how it was set-up, the challenges faced during the competition, and the overall quality of games produced.

Idea Takeaway: Attendees will have a better understanding of:

- The potential benefits of setting-up a competition where games are created as a means to stimulate the production of new (educational) games
- The learning effects that the production of games by teachers and students can potentially have
- The general challenges that teachers face when trying to use games in an educational environment

Intended Audience: All that are interested in (educational) games and the way they can be used in an educational context.