Talking to tweens and teens about game design
I'm a Technology Education Librarian in Charlotte, NC. Many teens and tweens at my library are interested in game design. Is there anyone in this chapter interested in speaking to the youth in getting started with game design as a career? We could also do live streaming or Skype of the presentation if it is easier. Thank you.
That would be great! Right now we're using Multimedia Fusion for game design courses but have used GameMaker and Scratch. I'd definitely be willing to partner with outside organizations. Right now our big push is literacy and linking games to literacy-I know that might seem obvious from a library but I don't think a lot of people have necessarily made the leap that if you're not reading a book you're not reading. My library system was selected by Verizon as one of the libraries to be a representative of gaming and literacy. I'm sure anything we do would be noticed by many other libraries as we're working on putting a 'toolkit' together of all that we do with gaming. Does this make sense so far?
Since you are specifically targeting literacy, I have a couple recommendations to get the ball rolling:
Check out existing articles via gamasutra.com
The public library should be able to make use of some the article's contents - fair use (though it would not hurt to get permission). Also, you might be inspired to contact the writer to get some information/stories to use in presentations, etc. Often, the last page of the article contains information about the writer, including contact information.
See if any (area) developers have stories about Historical Accuracy within the game (e.g. Tilted Mill's title Children of the Nile contains items that require a level of historical accuracy - Aquaducts must be placed in such a way as to allow them to flow || Dynasty Warriors is touted to be historically accurate).
See if any (area) developers have stories about book/movie adaptations (e.g. Rainbow 6 novel's made into video games).
See if any area developers would like to provide content - if you associate this project with a local (in-state) developer, you might be able to gain a considerable amount of PR for both the initiative and the contributing company (e.g. You are currently working with Verizion - if that relationship extends to Verizon wireless, there might be a mobile game developer in the area would be interested in helping; It may even be possible to create a mobile word game using Brew and getting the "youth created" game onto donated Verizon mobile devices - hard, but not impossible). However, keep in mind that most of the NC Developers are in the RTP area. This would make it hard for them to continually visit the library to provide guest lectures or direct instruction.
I would make sure the event contains examples of games making visible use of (topical) literacy within the game. You may be able to get permission to demonstrate portions of the game via play or video. If you are very lucky, a studio might decide to donate some copies of the game to the library 
.
I am sure you are already mindful of this last point, but I would be remiss if I did not mention that the most important portion should be the "walk away." The youth will need detailed instructions on how to recreate anything made in class (the game) and suggestions on how to "improve" those basic steps (e.g. alter a few areas to change the game dynamics, theme, or play). I would also recommend the packet contain information about researching ideas, themes, and tradenames (tweens are mature enough to understand the basics of copyright). The research should lead them back to school and library resources (yes, both books and teachers) and (hopefully) inspire them to take the next steps independently.
There are many other things to consider, but hopefully this will help hash out some ideas and help get MORE interest in this event. Remember, reciprocity may be a key element to getting help from Game Studios, so always know how you will help get media attention and how you will help ensure the attention is positive. (Plan contacts within the media - print and tv - and lay the ground work once you have gotten to the middle stages of the effort).
I hope this helps a bit. If you have a clear idea of what you would like to see, please post it here. That will help narrow precisely what should be contained in the lectures and "walk-away" materials.
Thank you so much-I will make it a plan to start putting this together based on your ideas. Thank you!
Additional info for Game Studios interested:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19243
BTW Kelly - If you could post some contact information (e.g. Library phone number or your email (e.g. myEmail(at)myURL(dot)com), it might encourage people to contact you directly from this forum.
Oh right-sorry =] it's .
Thanks!
Kelly
Thanks for the Verizon/ALA link. I'm a representative for the Public Library of Charlotte =]
I would be interested in helping with this. While in Florida, I was part of the Girl's in Gaming event.
It was targeted at young girls (7 - 13) and was conducted in cooperation with the Orlando Science Center. During a week-long workshop, they were introduced to the science behind games, game design, and were "required" to produce a game of their own using Game Maker.
It would be possible to reproduce a similar event or scale down based on your needs.
Did you have an idea of what the goals of the event would be? Would you like to work in conjunction with any local organizations (outside of the game industry) as a means to help promote/subsidize the event?