Game design quest – 2nd week
Week two out of three is behind us, here’s my summary:
The challenge – The game design quest includes two different challenges: the first is to design a board game and the second is to design a video game. The Eagles’ video game is created using a site called “Game Star Mechanics” and it allows them to initially make very cute to finally very complex games very easily (strongly recommended for children at home too!). Since the current session is short (three weeks only), we have quest time every day, and the Eagles are very pleased with the situation. This week, the Eagles finished exploring probability (using a bunch of super cool assignments and games!) and went on to design their own board game. In addition, they worked on their video game more or less for every free moment in the studio. The results look great!
Eagle Bucks distribution– Every Monday the guide calculates the points the Eagles have earned during the week, and then an Eagle Buck(EB) award ceremony takes place. After each Eagle receives the EBs she has earned, we play a role-playing game (loosely based on Dungeons and Dragons). The game continues each week and the plot becomes accordingly complicated. Each character in the game gets his/her power according to the number of points earned during core skills. This adds motivation for the Eagles to earn more points. The idea of this game is super cool and Eagles love it very much!
Civilization – We held an interesting discussion about the dilemma of a Japanese leader who wanted to unite the different tribes into one nation. I asked the Eagles if they were ready to step into the shoes of such a leader: Would they use aggressive methods (such as threats or force) or peaceful methods (such as negotiations and compromise)? Afterwards, we discussed the question of what would be more difficult: Uniting the tribes in the first place or keeping them united over time. As usual, it was interesting. I promise to upload a separate post regarding Civilization studies at Acton.
Birthday – Today we celebrated the birthday of one of the older Eagles and it was such fun! Every Eagle who celebrates her birthday in the studio brings pictures or items she would like to show the rest of the Eagles because these objects have been meaningful on their hero’s journey. Then she answers questions about her journey and of course takes care of delicious treats for everyone.
Next week will be our last week in the studio for the current session, so we are looking forward to a new exhibition!