DMGC

Digital Learning / DMGC — 4 Comments
4
Mar 09

Xtranormal Inspiration

I have been wanting to get the Digital Leaders onto xtranormal for a while and Red Nose Day’s ‘do something funny for money,’ was a perfect opportunity. The students were given the outline of the comedy sketch and a very brief introduction to xtranormal. They then signed up, self-taught and colloborated, it was fantastic to watch. Xtranormal is still in BETA but has more than enough to capture their attention. With storyboarding, writing and then directoring, it posed some real challenging decisions.

With a direct publishing link with Youtube, I was over joyed only to fall at the last hurdle. As most of you know, schools are over protective and are our students grow up in a filtered web world. Even though they can step into the play ground and search an unfilitered internet on their mobiles. So their home work was to connect their xtranormal accounts to their Youtube/google accounts and publish.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XInbWojcCLk&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6]

Popularity: 3% [?]

Digital Learning / DMGC — 3 Comments
31
Jan 09

Atmosphir

Make (collaborate and share) Your Own Video Game Free for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Well, so far so good. I signed up for the Beta and Dave Werner and his team were quick to respond. I installed the program, signed in and within minutes I was playing. So I posted to Twitter rather quickly my PLN colleagues confirmed my first impressions.

eyebeams @KristianStill @moodlefairy – that looks great!

Atmosphir is a third person, 3D, adventure game but thats not the source of my enthusiasm. Problem solving is a fantastic skill to develop, but designing problems requires much more complex and deep thinking!

Atmosphir does a great job of explaining the gaming concept so I wont digress there but where Atmosphir excels is in the simple but very effective level editor and market place. There are thousands of platforms, fixed blocks, disappearing platforms, elevators, obtacles, extra lives, keys/locks, flying powerups, props, and collectable items. Blocks are organized into themes and categories, so finding specific pieces is quick and painless and this palette is always expanding.

More importantly for me, you can create, collaborate and share your levels with other players/designers and gain instant feedback through a ‘star’ donatation scheme. This is the second key aspects that enthuses me as an educator. This brings additional value to an Atmosphir project but one that also encourages cross establishment / school collaboration as well.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Digital Leaders / DMGC — No Comments
28
Jan 09

The Battle for Newerth

The Digital Media and Gaming Club began with another tutorial in ALICE. A simplified 3D animator that encourages programming and creative construction. The students are making real progress with ALICE, some of the animations we hope to showcase on our college website, I am very proud of the lower College students in particular. ALICE opens up the realms of what is possible and the young students seem less inhibited than their more realistic, conscious older colleagues. Don’t get me wrong, ALICE is fun, but DMGC finished with something far more important, ‘The Battle for Newerth.’

The two armies are now in sight, the smell of battle is in the air, and the drums of war begin a dance of death. Victory or extinction, glory or defeat, the very hand of fate lies in the warrior grip of the SAVAGE.

The Battle for Newerth is a multi-player contest that combines aspects of the real-time strategy (RTS) and first-person shooter (FPS) genres and is credited as being the first real time strategy shooter (RTSS) – these three acronyms are now added to my quickly expanding gaming vocab. It takes place in the distant future when humankind has rebuilt society following an apocalypse, but is threatened by intelligent beasts.

Those of you that know me, will know I am not a passionate gamer. What I am passionate about the engaging students. Rest assured, Savage – Battle for Newerth will see a significant increase in DMGC popularity next week. Although my colleagues play, I tend to watch how the students interact. The different roles and interplay required means that students have to work together, form alliances and collaborate. Jon also mentioned he liked that fact that everyone, over 40 players, were involved.

‘….a level of trust is essential in your team and strategy to outwit your opponent.’

With each battle lasting an hour, there will be only one winner…. the DMGC. My thanks to my colleague Andrew for his hard work with this project.

I think I may even try and get a slot in the assemblies to show the students what is out there. Did I mention is was free. According the website (blocked in school) Savage 2- A Tortured Soul is also available.

 

Popularity: 3% [?]

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