St. Brendan High School App Producers
I am a little behind on this post, but about two weeks ago I did a 3 day workshop with a local high school, St. Brendan High School. In this 3 day workshop, we met in a fantastic Windows 8 “All In One” touch computer lab at Florida International University. We met for about six hours each day, and I taught them how to use Construct 2, a free drag and drop tool for making cross platform games.
As you might expect, the idea of making a game really sparked all of the student’s interest, and they quickly took the basics that I taught them and did their own thing. After the first hour or two, they were already starting to express their personality and creativity through their games. For example, one girl was a big soccer fan and began to work on a game in which their were two levels, one for Lionel Messi level and one for Cristiano Ronaldo (two of the best soccer players in the world). This is just one of the examples in which the students were able to take the concepts that they learned to produce a game that reflected their personality and interests.
When I teach these types of workshops with students, one of my big focuses is to convert the students from “app consumers” to “app producers”. This might seem like a simple statement, but let me tell you, it goes a long way. Throughout high school and college, I was never exposed a tool like Construct 2, and therefore, never even thought that I would be able to create a game. Furthermore, with the success of Flappy Bird, a very simple mobile game that has made millions of dollars, I like to tell students that they are “one app/game away” from making their first million! That said, I believe that these students definitely feel that making games are well within their wheelhouse now! So, without further adieu, let me show some of the games that were published!
Try them out, and reward them for a job well done!
Fish Fish Fish
Description
Fish Fish Fish is a game of endurance. See how long your fish can last. Tap to make your fish swim higher to avoid the seaweed, but don't swim too high or you'll get caught by the hook!
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/0715c67a-c8ec-4395-b082-942433778a99
Attack of the Ants
Description
Kill the ants before they reach your picnic basket. The ants get faster as time passes. You lose if 10 ants reach the basket!
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/138e30c4-385b-4073-8e53-dff6ee139f65
Flappy Space
Description
Tap the screen to move the alien.
Do not hit the moons, but collect the stars to get points.
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/c0c306b9-ac76-4f92-95d3-55e455ff94a2
Ninja Block
Description
Go through obstacles and get to the door to complete each level. Don't forget to grab the loot to buy your ninja medals.
https://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/afeb69af-f499-4620-b64e-2e4229905d44