Pennsylvania State University: Gaming For Girls
International Game Developers Association
Pennsylvania State University: Gaming For Girls
| Games Education |
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| Course |
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Contents |
Teachers
Instructors
Course Background Information
Gaming for Girls is a course targetted at middle-school and high-school age girls. Its general goal is to introduce girls to Information Technology and teach some skills necessary for Information Technology Fluency. Specific class curriculum has changed across the now four courses that have been offered under this title. Classes have used Warcraft III, Game Maker, and RPG Maker XP as a teaching tool. Curriculum has focused on telling interactive stories and creating interactive narratives. The most recent course changed gears and is focusing on video game design, specifically, using the MDA framework as a critique framework for evaluating and building better games in Warcraft III.
Location
State College, PA
Classification
Primary classification:
Interactive Storytelling, Practical Game Design
Secondary classification:
Game Critique
Student background needed
In general, Gaming for Girls has only required an interest in games and game development. Some classes have noted basic math skills and geometry as being important.
Course prerequisites
None.
Time periods
Three Gaming for Girls classes were offered as 4 and 5 week programs. One was offered as a 5-day summer camp.
Course Structure
Classes generally ran 4 hours per day. The summer camp was 3 hours a day. Classes occured over 4 or 5 days.
Course description
Course learning objectives
Week by week topics
Course Materials & Facilities Used
Books
Other materials
Software (engines, tools)
Warcraft III, Game Maker, and RPG Maker XP.
Syllabus
Slides
Assessment materials
Assessment has not been important for most Gaming for Girls classes. The most recent class has introduced third-party qualitative observers and surveys to attempt to collect research data and establish learning outcomes of the course.
Digital media used in class
Case studies
Tutorial files
Other materials
Analysis of learning methods
What worked
In general, students have been very engaged in all Gaming for Girls classes. Anecdotal evidence indicated an increase in self-efficacy with regards to computer technology. While the potential for skills learned by girls during the courses to transfer into other contexts is unknown, it is clear that girls learned and became more comfortable with game development environments, such as the Warcraft III World Editor or Game Maker. They succeeded in creating "complete" projects that told stories or provided interesting game play, as stipulated in the individual class's objectives.
What didn't work
Watching games is not fun. While this was intuitively obvious to the instructors, it became a frustrating reality during classes. It is difficult to use commercial games to illustrate design concepts or to engage students, as a student is only interested if she can actually play the game. This requires many copies of a game and imposes a number of logistical hurdles.
