Description
What our Careers: Game Designer lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Careers: Game Designer is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will will learn about careers in the field game design. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. For the activity, make sure students have colored pencils or markers to color their drawings.
Teacher Notes
The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. You can use the blank lines to write down any other ideas or thoughts you have about the topic as you prepare.
CAREERS: GAME DESIGNER LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Intro to Game Designers
The Careers: Game Designer lesson plan contains three content pages. What is a game designer? You might think it’s obvious. A game designer designs games! But there is more to game design than just that. You might be wondering why anyone would talk to you about becoming a game designer when you’re still in elementary or middle school. Let me tell you—it’s never too early to start dreaming about a career in game design. If you are a gamer, now is the perfect time to discover how games are created.
Have you ever played a super fun game on your computer, tablet, or console? Well, guess what? Game designers are the masterminds behind those games! They come up with cool game ideas. Then, they use their creativity and skills to bring them to life. At work, game designers get to do all sorts of awesome stuff. They come up with characters, design levels, and cool environments. Game designers create exciting challenges for players to overcome. They also work with a coding team to brainstorm ideas. Together, they solve problems to ensure the game is super fun.
Creating the Adventure
Developing a game is like composing a musical symphony. A game designer orchestrates gameplay elements. They create harmony and excitement for players. When making a new video game, game designers think of cool ideas. They use their artistic talents to draw characters. Then, they write the stories, creating each of the game levels. They plan how the game will work. Each part is tested, and any problems are fixed to make it fun to play. Game designers make sure everything in the game works smoothly.
Without them, the world might be very different. We wouldn’t be able to virtually embark on exciting adventures, solve thrilling puzzles, or explore fantastic worlds. Plus, we wouldn’t experience the joy of playing video games with our friends and family. Some games are even used to train the military on how to use drones. Game designers make the magic happen!
Logistics of the Career
In the United States, thousands of game designers craft incredible gaming experiences for players of all ages. And guess what? The demand for their skills is only expected to grow as technology advances. More and more people are playing games for entertainment. Most importantly, game designers have the power to spark imagination, foster creativity, and bring joy to millions of players.
What does this mean for you? For starters, pursuing a career in game design can lead to exciting opportunities. It’s the chance to make a living doing something you love—playing games! According to industry reports, the median annual salary for game designers is around $65,000. And as the demand for games continues to rise, so will their earning potential.
But it’s not just about the money. Game design offers a chance to make a real impact on the gaming world. For example, they create inclusive games that everyone can enjoy. They designed the educational games you play in school. The military, government, and businesses use games to plan strategies. Game designers have the power to make a difference in the world.
Becoming a Game Designer
What does it take to become a game designer? It all starts with a passion for games and a creative imagination. You must like art and be a good writer. A high school diploma is the minimum requirement. Most game designers earn a bachelor’s degree in game design or computer science. You have to be a self-directed learner to stay up to date with the latest technologies and trends in the gaming industry.
Game designers gain practical experience through internships, game jams, or their own game creations. Many compete in e-sports competitions to find out what gamers like. Hands-on training is invaluable for honing their skills. That is how they become known in the competitive field of game design.
A career in game design offers a unique blend of creativity, innovation, and opportunity. If you’re passionate about games and storytelling, game design is something you may want to consider as a career. Who knows? You might just create the next blockbuster game or even inspire the next generation of game designers!
CAREERS: GAME DESIGNER LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Careers: Game Designer lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.
BEAT THE BOSS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For the activity, students will create a “boss” that they might find at the end of a video game level. They will draw and color a picture of their boss in the box at the bottom of the page. Then they will answer the questions below the box about their boss.
CAREERS: GAME DESIGNER PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet lists 10 questions based on the content. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.
Worksheet Answer Keys
At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
