short url for this page: http://tinyurl.com/Gamemaker2014

Overview

The GameMaker camp was/is a Middle School summer day camp. The camp is organized such that there are 5 groups of students each day, up to 20 in each group, and each group has 1 hour of GameMaker Camp per day. Camp is 4 days, total. Doing the math, each student has 4 hours of Gamemaker instruction and workshop, total.

Gamemaker 8.1 with additional resources and installer

Day 1

Materials and Setup

Sharpies and masking tape for labeling flash drives
copies of Day 1 handout

As students come in

Turn on computers, log in, stick in flash drive
Play game on projected computer

Introductions and Logistics

Sean, Mr. Milne

Rules of the Game

Class is divided into:
- Lecture: introduction of new ideas
- Workshop
During lecture:
- Computers are closed
- No talking
- Raise your hand if you have a question
During workshop:
- Help each other, but don't type on each others' computers.
- If you need help, stay in your seat and raise your hand

Flash Drives

put your name on them
save everything there
There's an installer for Gamemaker and a bunch of extra resources
if you have a computer at home, you can work at home! (no Internet required)
Copy the installer to the flash drive

First Game

close computers

Elements of a Game

brainstorm what elements we find in a game

Essential

image (sprite)
rules for image (object)
- event -> action
room

Optional

score
sound
- events (bullet sounds)
- background music

Catch the Clown

Description

sprite moves around in a room on the screen
if we click on the sprite, we get a point

Files

Day 2

Review

Overall

Sprite
1. Name
2. Image
Object
1. Name
2. Sprite
3. Rules
  1. if Event -> Action
Room
1. Contains all of the objects

Specific

2 Sprites:
- Main Character
- Wall
2 Objects
- Rules for main character

Workshop

Recreate the "Catch the Clown" game from yesterday

Bells and Whistles

Alarm
- Gamemaker Steps
Sound Effects
Background music
Multiple sprites
Penalties
Changing the sprite show we got it, delay, reset position

Moving your own character

Make our main sprite a bad guy (eventually)
Setting up the arrow keys to make the character move
Avoiding collisions with walls
- Questions and blocks
What happens when we hit a bad guy?
Are there good guys?
Shooting
- Using variables

Day 3

Maze Games

Use attached sheet as a guide
Introduce the "check condition" (if) statement
Show how to draw your own sprites
Show animation

GameMaker Camp at Jardine Middle School June 2014

Contents