Game Design Instruction: Cheese on Broccoli
A Houston area school district plans to open an Academy of Game Design this fall at Willowridge High School. Students who enroll in the program will learn the basics of game design, including 2D and 3D animation, graphics, lighting, and sound mixing, according to the Houston Chronicle. Rodney Gibbs, a computer game developer in Austin, applauds the move. “The backbone of what we do is calculus, physics, engineering, computer science,” he told the Chronicle. “All those are vegetables that are good for you, but it’s hard to get kids to eat them. Video games are like the cheese on broccoli.”
Some parents are wary, holding to the prevailing belief that computer games are merely digital distraction. School officials are trying to explain to doubters that the skills students learn could help them find good-paying jobs, and not only in the games industry. As the Chronicle notes, the same talents needed to design the next Call to Duty can also be put to use designing simulation software, which is increasingly used for in a variety of fields, from healthcare to the military. Moreover, a growing number of top universities now offer degree programs in computer game design and engineering. In other words, this gaming stuff is now serious business.
Filed under: K-12 Education News
Tags: Computer Engineering, Computer Programming, Computer Science, Curriculum
