Game Design Essentials

What your school gets

Everything a teacher needs to teach Game Design Essentials this year.

In class

8 lessons, ready to teach Each one planned step by step, taught from the board with the same lesson open on each student's device.
Quizzes and assessments A short quiz with every lesson.
Progress and resultsWhat each student has completed, and how they did.
CertificatesFor portfolios, open days and reports home.
Try the first lesson: First Arcade Project

On paper

Teacher Resource BookThe whole course laid out for the teacher, lesson by lesson, ready to print.
The sample lesson's pages

The whole books come with the course, in each class's Resources.

The course, module by module

8 lessons in 8 modules. The lesson marked Sample opens in full.

1 Week 1 1 lesson · about 1 hour

1 First Arcade Project Sample lesson Quiz

2 Week 2 1 lesson · about 1 hour

2 Space Dodge Quiz

3 Week 3 1 lesson · about 1 hour

3 Bat Battle Quiz

4 Week 4 1 lesson · about 1 hour

4 Space Shooter Quiz

5 Week 5 1 lesson · about 1 hour

5 Platform Place Quiz

6 Week 6 1 lesson · about 1 hour

6 Dino Jump Quiz

7 Week 7 1 lesson · about 1 hour

7 Monster Battle Arena Quiz

8 Week 8 1 lesson · about 1 hour

8 Donut Rush Quiz

What students learn

This module guides students through creating various interactive games using MakeCode Arcade. Each week focuses on a different project, teaching students to design sprites, control movements, program interactions, and set up game mechanics. Teachers should ensure students understand each step before moving on, encourage experimentation with the code, and emphasise the importance of correct variable selection and code placement. The module concludes with a game showcase, allowing students to present their creations.

By the end of the course, students can

Create and control game sprites using MakeCode Arcade.
Design and implement game mechanics such as movement, collision detection, scoring, and game over conditions.
Understand and apply coding concepts to create interactive games, including sprite overlaps, game logic, and variable tracking.
Develop a variety of games including arcade, platform, and battle arena games, demonstrating creativity and technical skills.
Present a completed game project, demonstrating understanding of game design principles and coding concepts.

What you'll need

Used in some of the lessons. Students can share in groups of two or three.

Chromebook/Laptop/PC iPad/Tablet