Hapori
A Hapori course is a non-curricular focused learning experience driven by student passion. Rooted in the concept of "hapori" or community, these courses empower students to explore diverse topics outside the traditional curriculum, fostering collaboration and a sense of ownership over their learning. With a focus on self-directed exploration, Hapori courses encourage students to pursue their interests, ranging from creative arts to technology and social issues. This initiative reflects our commitment to cultivating well-rounded individuals who are not only academically proficient but also deeply connected to their passions and the broader community.
GAME DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
In Term 2, we explored a variety of tools and technology. Now it’s time to put that knowledge into action. This term, your challenge is to design and build a working game.
Your game toolkit
We'll focus on two powerful game engines:
- Godot (https://godotengine.org) - Godot is a powerful free game engine where you can build 2D and 3D games. Great for bigger projects if you want to learn deeper coding (GDScript, a lot like Python).
- GameMaker (https://gamemaker.io) - GameMaker is a professional 2D game engine used to create a wide variety of games - from puzzles and top-down adventures to classic arcade-style games. With GameMaker you can use both text coding and block coding, so this can be an excellent transition for students who have used other block-based platforms like Scratch or GameFroot.
These tools do require a laptop (not well suited to tablets or Chromebooks). Loan machines are available from reception. It is recommended that you download an install GameMaker before the first class. (We will optionally move to Godot later)
Divide and conquer!
We encourage collaboration. Working in a team gives you access to different skill sets and makes your game even better.
Here are some roles you might want to split up:
- Coding - bring the game logic to life.
- UI/UX design - make it intuitive and fun to play.
- Story design - create a compelling world and narrative.
- Art and animation - build characters, environments, and effects
- Sound design - music, voice, and sounds effects
What you will learn
During the course of the term you will learn about:
- Coding for games.
- Game design principles.
- Version control and collaborating on code.
- Testing and debugging.
- Presenting and sharing your finished game.
If you have any questions or want to do something a bit different - feel free to email me!