course
description

Video games are the medium of the 21st century. While the indie movement enabled a lot folks to go out and make their own ideas a video game reality, the field is still very limited to white and cis-males. The aim of this program is to enable more people to do that.

This ambitious program will use open tools for narrative game making. Video games are a great medium to tell stories, but making games can be quite challenging as it incorporates various types of media. Which is great because it opens doors to very different kinds of game we can create! We can cater to our strengths and interests and gain insights into others and learn new things! All while sharing our experiences!

in this program you’ll be introduced to

• Godot as 2D or 3D game engine,

• Krita digital painting program

• Blender 3D

• an open source digital audio workstation (DAW)

• non-linear writing tools

• electronics and simple circuitry for creating interactive artworks

• basic programming using Arduino microcontrollers

• toolkits and platforms for making experimental games

• context and inspiration: what’s happening in different experimental play communities today?

• modern play landscape from a variety of perspectives

• hands-on individual and collaborative group work

• opportunities for introspection and self-reflection with others

• critical and conceptual development of projects for a group exhibition

• a variety of guest speakers with varying perspectives and relevant practices

• gain knowledge around professional development for artists and creatives

• engage with the local network through weekly potlucks and other events

• get to know an amazing network and community of like-minded creative beings and potential future collaborators

course outline

Week 1: Intros and Bonding :)
In this first week we’ll spend lots of time getting to know each other, sharing past works, discussing and playing games, learning about different types of narrative games, and starting to think about and prototype initial ideas for game play. We’ll also get started playing with simple electronics and see how technology can hinder or enhance how we design games.

Week 2: Tech and tools
In our second week we begin working with Godot as game engine, as well as plugins, and get started with 2D and 3D asset creation using Krita and Blender. We’ll also get a bit more into advanced electronics and prototyping.

Week 3: Story, Sound, and Materials
In this third week, we focus on non-linear writing and audio assets, plus materials and advanced prototyping and begin to bring all the elements we’ve learned thus far together to conceive of our final games.

Week 4: Exhibition preparations
The final week is dedicated to synthesis and presentation. With mentorship and technical support, participants finalize their projects, translating their experiments and ideas into cohesive pieces. The course culminates in the documentation and public presentation of works created during the program, showcasing the unique games developed with a public audience including discussions about our time together, and why diversity in games matters.

who is this program for?

This program is for digital artists, creative coders, game-modders, art-games communities, experience designers, immersive theatre writers, personal-games advocates, story-tellers, performance artists, street game enthusiasts, and champions of the playful as we spend a month this summer combining technology, storytelling, and experimental games through a feminist lens. It’s geared toward anyone involved in creative projects that wish to begin incorporating interactivity, electronics, sound, and experimental games and experiences into their work or practice. The course approaches game-making from an introductory level. No prior experience is required.

guest instructors

Rachel Uwa
Artist, Educator

Rachel Uwa is an artist and educator with a background in audio engineering and visual effects. She founded the School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe in Berlin, Germany in 2014, an independent school hovering at the intersection of art, technology, design, and human connection. Rachel specializes in working with communities and through her work aims to make the technical sector more diverse and inclusive. She uses technology as a catalyst to encourage others to become more critically-minded, and more deeply engaged with their surroundings and with themselves.