Teacher Resources

These units are not designed to be a linear progression, but rather modular projects exploring game design through different artistic lenses. We recommend starting with “Introduction to Digital Game Design as Art,” as it builds foundational game design and critique concepts, as well as Game Maker skills, used in other modules. But beyond that the modules can be cherry-picked for relevance, or presented in any order.

Each module page includes a printable unit plan with relevant tutorials and worksheets, a downloadable file containing any materials or visual aids discussed in the unit, and links to free online versions of any example games played and discussed in the unit.

Currentlab – Game Curriculum by Ryan Patton, Luke Meeken & Meredith Cosier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Modules

One of the tools used in CurrentLab classes and units are Game Design Cards – basic game design elements are broken down into a modular collection of cards which students can refer to to autonomously add new mechanics and features to their projects. The CurrentLab modules each have PDFs including Game Design Cards relevant to their specific pedagogical aims, but this page contains the entire collection of Game Design Cards organized by category.

Player Control

NPC Actions

Presentation

Variables/Values

Rooms/Environments

Items

Download legacy versions of Game Maker from YoYo Games.

Art History Research at VCUarts

Situated within a thriving art school, faculty research in VCU’s Department of Art Education is at the forefront of integrating urban community engagement, digital and emerging media, and arts research and assessment in diverse settings. Faculty have published widely in their research on arts and technology, critical and dialogic thinking, service learning, museum education, assessment, arts-based research, and culturally sustainable pedagogy.

Research Statements

Ryan Patton
Through his research, Dr. Patton’s explores methods and materials of digital media to question, repurpose, and make meaning in our daily lives. His primary areas of research are games as an art material, physical computing devices and software, socially-engaged art practices, and histories of art education. In his research on games, Dr. Patton has been investigating how games can be a transdisciplinary method to learning the world around us, through the digital curriculum on CurrentLab. Dr. Patton is also exploring how we can repurpose digital devices for personal use and discovery. In this research, he has developed modular physical computing switches, assistive technology software, and co-created an augmented reality mapping surveillance tool called Citysneak. By presenting and creating these kinds of digital artifacts in art and educational contexts, Dr. Patton attempts to initiate conversations about our relationships with technology and how art education can play a role in those conversations.