Game Design and Making is Much More Than the End Product

I'm currently delving into a series of videos on game design and making.

Not because I intend to join the game-making community (though I'll never rule this out), but because I've been an avid gamer all my life, and I'm always interested in finding new angles and ways to make my lessons more interesting.

To get this out of the way, I think that the word "gamification" has become a grotesquely-overused buzzword that has lost its soul.

And, based on what I've witnessed so far, a lot of "game design" workshops run in local schools are just programming workshops with a gaming front cover.

The principles of making a game interesting, engaging, and fun seem secondary to producing some sort of rudimentary templated game on some standard platform.

Of course, one could argue that the time allocated is too short to produce a fully-fledged game, but then, why are there never board games, card games, or even sport-based games produced by the students in these workshops?

As huge an industry as video and mobile games is, not every game has to be digital.

I have no issue with teaching students programming and platform use, but if that's the goal of the programme, call a spade a spade and say that it's a programming workshop.

Game design and making is much more than just that.

Teaching in Schools, Showcases, Elective Modules. All That Jazz.

There's something I really enjoy about running education programmes in schools - Showcases.

This typically happens at the end of Elective Modules (where students get to pick a topic they’re interested in that the school has invited trainers to come in and train on).

Examples of Elective Modules (EMs) have included aeronautical engineering, automotive engineering, coding and programming, fashion design, barista skills, health science and healthcare, life sciences, and so on.

There are a few schools that seem rather opposed to the idea of Showcases for some reason, but I’ve always found them to be one of the most valuable parts of running an education programme.

What better way to learn than to teach someone else what you’ve learned?

Of course, due to pandemic, Showcases are pretty scaled down now. At most, they are restricted to their individual rooms, and only the teachers and other school leaders go from room to room.

The experience is, undoubtedly, diminished, but I maintain that it's better to have a lesser experience than nothing at all.

I'm Transitioning From the Student to the Adult Learner Market and It's Not Easy

My entire career life has been in the student market - ages 10 - 19 or so - for the past 15 years. My contacts, naturally, have overwhelmingly been people who work in and around this market.

Yes, I’ve had opportunities and experiences in the adult learner market, but this is a very recent development, starting around 2018 or so.

And then, of course, the pandemic hit and everything went nose first into the ground.

Even a number of the contacts I’d made prior to the pandemic aren’t in business anymore, or have gone to a different industry or job. Essentially, I have to build everything up again, and I’m have the hardest time with Zoom meetings, a format that I loathe.

For those who are quick to adapt and find the new formats intuitive or, perhaps, even better than the formats they are replacing, you’re in a great place. I wish it were easier for me.

There is, of course, the possibility of staying on in the student market by bringing my programmes online. The immense problem is that, because of the nature of the programmes I’ve developed for students, they were designed for in-person sessions and a lot of it cannot be translated online.

Yes, there are alternatives - online labs, simulations, etc. - but even seasoned educators generally agree that they are temporary substitutes for the situation we are in, not adequate replacements. There are intangible benefits to in-person learning that can never be replaced by online learning.

I recognise that they are useful in the current situation and they definitely hold a place in education. That said, because my programmes aren’t curricular, I always intended for them to be as immersive and experiential as possible.

Unfortunately, this means that they can’t quite be translated to an online version without losing a lot of their intended effects.

There is the possibility of creating a new programme aimed directly to be done online, as I’ve done with some of my other programmes (for the adult learner market), but this will take time. Also, those programmes aren’t intensely-hands-on science-based programmes, so it’s not difficult to do so.

Furthermore, because I’ve spent at least 3 months creating the original programmes without recouping the resources I’ve put into it, I don’t feel inclined to create any more new programmes.

The schools seem to think that 20 hours of in-person training should translate into 20 hours of online training, as if they are the same thing. This is something I find strange because they had to translate their curriculum online last year and, surely, they must realise that you can’t translate things minute for minute.

The logical thing to do, therefore, is to move away from the student market and into the adult learner market.

So here is where it circles back to the beginning of this blog post.

I need to connect with people in the adult learner market and ramp this up quickly.

I’m finding some good leads in Clubhouse, in educator circles. I’m also looking at investing in certain online tools to simplify my processes.

It’s not easy, and it’s not going to get easier.

It’s a large transition and it’s going to require a lot of work to get right.

I’ve been disheartened for a month. It’s time to get over the slump.

It’s time to get cracking!

Developing Curriculum In These Uncertain Times - Preparing For The Future

So here we are, in the middle of a slowdown (not quite a shutdown yet) in Singapore.

Schools are closed, as are many retail stores.

Food outlets, markets, and supermarkets are still open, to ensure that everybody can still buy food and necessities.

This would normally be a very busy period for freelance trainers in schools. However, since the schools aren’t open, all programmes have been postponed, cancelled, or unconfirmed.

There is an upcoming one in mid-May that I am developing curriculum for, but there is this sense of uncertainty. What if the schools are shut for an extended period of time?

Well, I can worry, or I can just forge ahead and do what I’m supposed to.

Even if this school doesn’t go ahead with the programme, the curriculum can still be used for future school programmes. Since the topics are gaining popularity, it shouldn’t be a problem to secure future projects.

So, instead of wasting time worrying about whether or not I will get to use it, I’ll just have it ready.

Well, back to work, then!

Preparing for the future requires present sacrifice!