Core Concepts and Movement Dynamics
Recommended Classroom Hours: 4-8
Assessments: Available in Course
Teacher PD Flyer - Digital Technologies Curriculum Links
Ever wondered how to build computer games and not known where to start? GameMaker is an easy to use games development platform which streamlines the production of games. Most importantly it is free and runs on both PC and Mac! During this session you will learn how to design, modify and follow simple algorithms and how to relate the concepts of sequence, branching and iteration to GameMaker in the classroom. We will end with a discussion and examples of delivering these coding concepts in a classroom environment.
- Create a wall object for my game.
- Program my character to stop moving when it collides with the wall.
- Explain how collisions work in Game Maker.
- Explain the significance of the solid property.
- Program my character to move one one wall object at a time.
- Program a Question with Game Maker.
- Explain what a Question is and how it can be used to enhance movement in Game Maker.
- Explain the difference between the Check Grid question.
- Explain why a speed of 5 pixels per step will not work when the sprites for your game are 32 pixels in width and length
Nat graduated with a Bachelor of Information Systems from The University of Melbourne in 2003 and spent two years working as an International Fellow, teaching programming and database concepts at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore. Following that, Nat worked as a Solution Consultant for one of Microsoft’s implementation partners in Singapore during which time he qualified as a Microsoft Certified Professional. In 2008 Nat completed a Post Grad Diploma in Teaching from The University of Melbourne and then spent five years working as a teacher of Information Technology and Mathematics at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College. During this time he wrote four Game Maker text books and completed additional coursework towards a Master of Teaching. In 2014 Nat traveled to the Northern Territory and worked as a ICT Coordinator at Centralian Middle School where he taught games programming and robotics