Video Game Tech Camps For Teens
Learn the technology behind video games & have fun doing it.
Mobile Phone Game Creation
Location(s): Westfield
Amenities: Snacks & Drinks Included
Cost: $269 before May 1st, $299 after May 1st
[button size=”xl” link=”https://videogamepalooza.org/video-game-camps/schedule/”]Sign Up For This Camp[/button]
Ages 12 – 16. In this camp you will use Construct 2 software to create a game that can be utilized on a mobile device. This software also utilizes drag and drop programming but with more in depth abilities. You will create your own worlds, learn to create own characters, learn to animate those characters, create objectives in your games & deliver your games on a phone.
Construct 2 is an HTML 5 game making tool that is a great starting point for anyone interested in making mobile games with no prior programming knowledge. Construct 2 is a “drag and drop” game engine that allows you to import custom sprites and give them behaviors to make them do what you want them to do! The mobile game genre has blown up in the last couple of years with successful games like Angry Birds and Flappy Bird. Construct 2 is the perfect start towards building experience required to create the next big game.
With Construct 2’s drag and drop engine, making either a platform jumper, or top down shooter is a breeze. This game engine has everything you need already built into it, while being very user friendly that users with no experience can pick up on very easily. Campers will be learning how to import sprites or create their own for the game they will be making. Using the animation editor to take the sprites they want and add animations like walking, jumping, and shooting to their creations! Campers will also be adding custom behaviors, or events, to their game. This allows them to control how the game plays and how it interacts with their sprites. Adding hit boxes to their sprites is another one of the many things they’ll be doing with Construct 2. They’ll be creating backgrounds, textures, and importing sound files that will bring their creation to life.
With mobile gaming devices quickly becoming the most common form of gaming in the world, the knowledge and experience gained from learning the fundamentals of Construct 2 could be useful for any other form of game development in the future.
Space will be limited for this camp. This camp costs $299 ($269 before May 1st) for each session. The camp will meet daily Monday – Friday from 9am – 4pm.
Video Games & Graphics
Location(s): Westfield
Amenities: Snacks & Drinks Included
Cost: $269 before May 1st, $299 after May 1st
[button size=”xl” link=”https://videogamepalooza.org/video-game-camps/schedule/”]Sign Up For This Camp[/button]
Ages 10 – 14. This camp allows kids to learn to make your own creations in graphic design software through learning design basics. You will learn how to create your own characters, backgrounds, enemies, obstacles, stages, etc. that can be used as assets in a video game.
We will be utilizing Pixlr for this camp along with some other tools for the customization of video games with your own graphics. We want to teach campers how to use the basic tools that they have available to them to create unique graphics.
We will also cover how to create characters in Pixlr, how to create them for animation within their games, the proper way to create a gaming background and much more.
We will also utilize techniques that allow them to feel more confident when creating graphics by guiding them through hands on lessons that will allow them to continute learning about graphics once the camp has concluded.
Space will be limited for this camp. Each camp session costs $299 ($269 before May 1st). The camp will meet daily Monday – Friday from 9am – 4pm.
Intro To Video Game Design With Kodu
Location(s): Westfield
Amenities: Snacks & Drinks Included
Cost: $269 before May 1st, $299 after May 1st
[button size=”xl” link=”https://videogamepalooza.org/video-game-camps/schedule/”]Sign Up For This Camp[/button]
Ages 8 – 12. SAME GREAT CAMP, NOW FOR YOUNGER AGES! This year we’ve adjusted the main Kodu camp program to open it up for younger ages. You asked and we listened, so now we have opened it up for as young as 8 to attend Create & Play Camps. In this camp you will create your own 3D worlds, add in pre-made characters and functionality through a click and drag programming interface. We utilize Microsoft Kodu software. It is best for younger individuals without a lot of experience with game creation.
Kodu Game Lab is an amazing program that allows users the ability to design, create, build, and play games brought to life by their ideas. The types of games you can create inside kodu are limited by your imagination! Recreate your favorite side scrolling platformers like Mario, or come up with something completely new!
Kodu uses a visual programming language suitable for all ages with no experience requirements. All coding is done inside of Kodu and is completed using visual commands that are easy to understand and configure. A visual language is a great way to introduce new users the concept of programming without being overwhelmed with a bunch of code.
During camp, the kids will start with the basics. They’ll learn how to create their own worlds of grass, mountains, water, and trees! If they’re not into the Earthy look, they can make their world look like another planet! There are thousands of ways to build your world with Kodu. Building their world is just the tip of the iceberg! What’s a world full of wonderful scenery without players or monsters inhabiting it? Boring! Programming their character, enemies, and allies is what gives the game depth. They’ll learn how to program their characters and give them full movement controls, power ups, the ability to shoot, jump, or interact with other entities within their world. Recreating a working Frogger clone gets them thinking about all of the possibilities they have. They’ll even be making their games with multiple levels and a story line!
After learning everything there is to know about Kodu, the campers must come up with a game they want to make. Bringing everything they’ve learned throughout their week of camp into one big game of their dreams! Working alongside fellow students allows the kids to share ideas and build off of each other. They’ll get the chance to play the creations of everyone else in the camp and provide constructive feedback on each others games.
For anyone interested in game design or programming. Kodu Game Lab is a great place to start. The fundamentals they learn from this will carry over into other aspects of game development in the future. Everyone starts somewhere, why not start with the fun, easy, and colorful 3D environment Kodu Game Lab has to offer!
Space will be limited for this camp. This camp costs $299 ($269 before May 1st) for each session. The camp will meet daily Monday – Friday from 9am – 4pm.