Something is making me do it
I'm due to give a presentation at the inaugural Australian Game Programming in Schools Conference.
Initially I decided to present on Game Design Tools since I have worked quite hard on that this year and in previous years too. And I think I have developed some useful game design teaching materials.
But today I've suggested a topic change to something like:
Something is making me do it: A reflection on 3.5 years of teaching Game Making
That idea just popped into my head this morning and has stayed there throughout the day, as a far better topic.
The truth is that I've stumbled into teaching game making primarily due to forces outside of myself which pulled me in directions far more strongly than I anticipated. It's as though I've accidentally immigrated to the wrong county. I wanted to visit Game country but settle in Web application land. But the visit to Game Land has turned out to be a lengthy stay and here I am now getting in deeper and deeper, giving presentations at Conferences.
So I want to tell the story of the forces that got me this far. I want to identify more clearly the something, or somethings, that are making me do it. I see it very much as a dynamic equilibrium, that I'm being blown in the wind. I still want to go somewhere else - python, zope3, web development - but I keep getting dragged back into various aspects of Game Making and even Game Playing. It has been surprising.
It will be more interesting than talking about game design tools.
Initially I decided to present on Game Design Tools since I have worked quite hard on that this year and in previous years too. And I think I have developed some useful game design teaching materials.
But today I've suggested a topic change to something like:
Something is making me do it: A reflection on 3.5 years of teaching Game Making
That idea just popped into my head this morning and has stayed there throughout the day, as a far better topic.
The truth is that I've stumbled into teaching game making primarily due to forces outside of myself which pulled me in directions far more strongly than I anticipated. It's as though I've accidentally immigrated to the wrong county. I wanted to visit Game country but settle in Web application land. But the visit to Game Land has turned out to be a lengthy stay and here I am now getting in deeper and deeper, giving presentations at Conferences.
So I want to tell the story of the forces that got me this far. I want to identify more clearly the something, or somethings, that are making me do it. I see it very much as a dynamic equilibrium, that I'm being blown in the wind. I still want to go somewhere else - python, zope3, web development - but I keep getting dragged back into various aspects of Game Making and even Game Playing. It has been surprising.
It will be more interesting than talking about game design tools.
posted by Bill Kerr at 10:20 PM
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3 Comments:
Mein Gott
The man is possessed!
hi wara,
Many a true word spoken in jest :-)
There are a lot of pieces making up the mosaic. My plan is to blog the bits and later pull the threads together.
I'm trying to think of a good visual to match, something like being sucked into a worm hole into a new Universe on the "other side"?
I can identify with your feelings, Bill.
I have been following GM since version 4.3 on a casual basis. End of last year, a thought flashed into my mind to share this with 10yr olds onwards. I decided it be my New Year resolution for 2006 even though i didn't know how to go about doing it.
Faith, God maybe, I don't know. I moved step by step and it seemed that the path ahead was being cleared for me to follow. In April, I taught some children and recently they produced their own simple game.
I was enthralled and now another path seems to be opening to share this knowledge with more children.
I am in the midst of planning a structured framework for next year. Gosh I am not even being paid for all this. Yes it seems like there is a greater force at play.
Philip V from Singapore
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