Game Maker
Showcasing
Game Maker, often referred to as GM, allows you to use easy to learn drag-and drop actions,
and organise the icons visually on the screen to intuitively create exciting computer
games…with no need to write a single line of code!
There are lots of ways to use Game Maker in your classrooms:

learning about programming, technology, and of course game design itself

discussing what makes a ‘good’ game

discovering the mechanics of a games, including types of rules.
To learn more about the creation of particular types of games go to:
http://www.yoyogames.com/make/tutorials.
Stories form the classroom…
Story 1
Groups of students from Strathfieldsaye Primary School Grade 6 classes worked together to
plan and host this year’s Kids’ Congress– the theme was cyber safety. Here is their story…..
‘To organise Kids’ Congress, we had massive student involvement. Students designed logos
and wrote sponsorship letters. We created surveys about what participants wanted to eat and
what they thought about the conference and we did lots of work around the theme of
cybersafety – we made animations, games and videos. The sessions we offered were: blogs
(Lake Boga); animation (Lake Boga); Superclubplus (Quarry Hill); Xtranormal (Quarry Hill);
Google Sketchup (Maiden Gully); Comic Life (Girton); Movie Maker /Animation
(Strathfieldsaye) ;Game Maker (Strathfieldsaye); podcasting (Epsom); Super Dooper Music
Looper (Comet Hill / Eaglehawk); Kahootz (Lockwood); Vokis (Kyabram); Movie
Maker/Audacity/Debut (Echuca); Monkey Jam (Talbot); and Gold Star Cafe (Spring Gully). To
be ready to present at the congress, the ‘presenting’ kids got together and had to think
1
through the steps of what they wanted to teach the kids in the breakout groups and how we
were going to do it. We made some posters and summary sheets to help us and to keep us
on track. We had to plan what we were going to do very carefully. We also had to practise
what we were going to do. We practised with some Grade 4 and 5 students from our
school….and we weren’t very good the first time! We got better though because we thought
about what we did. We were very good at the conference because we had lots of practise and
we were really organised and well prepared. We also prepared food, interviewed students,
took photos, and generally helped out at the Congress as well. There was also a wonderful
involvement from teachers. Teachers came along with the students from their schools. They
got to watch what the kids were doing and to have a go at the programs too. The teachers
thought that it was a great opportunity for them to learn. The kids were teaching the teachers.
We also had secondary teachers come and see what the primary kids could do. They were
really happy to see what we were doing. Some of them will have the netbooks next year as
part of the trial so it was good for them to see some of the things that we could do. Kids’
Congress 2009 was awesome, interesting and fun! ‘
J and M Grade 6 students, Strathfieldsaye Primary School
2