Video Game Programming students at the CTE Center are working on their four month long end of the year project, creating an original video game in groups.
“The original game project is supposed to teach students primarily how to manage a large game project,” Video Game Programming teacher Christine Peterson said. “That’ll include the technical aspects of writing a game as well as the team dynamics of managing a game, game development, over a period of time.”
Students are divided into groups of three and use Trello to create team projects that divide tasks and keep track of each other. Students then will assign someone with the role of Project Manager and another as Scrum Master.
“I think they’re a good way to make sure that everyone’s doing the work they need to do. Not only that, but it’s also good for lowering or raising our expectations for the sprint,” junior Rayhan Ranjith said. “But we haven’t even started doing them yet, so I can’t say much about what they’ve actually done for us.”
Once students have decided on their game and the details, they will work in separate parts and hold daily meetings to keep track of what’s done and what’s not.
“I think they’re a good way to make sure that everyone’s doing the work they need to do. Not only that, but it’s also good for lowering or raising our expectations for the sprint,” Ranjith said. “But we haven’t even started doing them yet, so I can’t say much about what they’ve actually done for us.”
Students will also create a website to present their games to clients. This website will present sprites, animations, a one page document over the basics of the game, and a ten page document over the game in detail.
“It [the website] has two purposes, one is to be a repository of all the art effects that you create as you go so that you can show basically a portfolio of what you made but it’s also a way to market the game,” Peterson said. “So when you present to professionals or judges of the video game showcase night that they can see what you made and what the game’s all about.”
Once the students have finished their games, there will be a showcase where students present their game and what they have learned and what they have created.
“Students will set up their game for judging and have maybe 12 judges from industry or past students or other professionals, evaluate the games and move from station to station to meet with each team and explore the game,” Peterson said. “The judges will then select the top 5 teams to present and after the judges are finished going around we’ll open up to parents and basically everybody else to enjoy the students’ games”
