■ GAME DESIGN • FACILITATOR’S GUIDE ■
VIDEO GAME DESIGN
Two class periods in MakeCode Arcade: build from a tutorial, then remix it into something nobody else has. Everything you need to run it.
OPTIONAL WHOLE-GROUP SLIDES
The Canvas assignments are the independent and absence route. Download the 21-slide Video Game Design teacher deck · Make a Google copy when you want to teach both lessons from the front of the room.
- Day 1: slides 1 to 12, game systems, MakeCode navigation, tutorials, saving, and evidence
- Day 2: slides 13 to 21, remixing, features, conditionals, testing, rubric, and submission
- Leave up: slide 12 during Skillmap work and slide 20 during Remix work
RUN SHEET
Teach the two-day sequence straight through. Day 1 introduces the MakeCode interface and has students complete two Beginner Skillmap tutorials. Day 2 asks students to reopen that work, add two purposeful features, test each change, and explain the player experience. The Canvas assignments provide the independent route in English and Spanish tabs.
| Module item | What happens | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| LESSON 01: SKILLMAP | Sign-in day and first build. Students open the MakeCode Arcade skillmap, sign in with their school Microsoft account, and finish two tutorial paths off the pink puzzle pieces. Signing in with the Irving ISD Microsoft account adds cloud sync so the project can be opened from another device. Students should also download the MakeCode project PNG before leaving. Ends with a screenshot upload and a reflection in the comments. | Screenshot of 2 completed pieces Full class period |
| LESSON 02: REMIX | Students reopen a skillmap game from My Projects or import the project PNG they saved on Day 1. If neither is available, they open the official Greeting Card example and choose Edit Code. They rename the project and add two or more purposeful features: a new challenge, reward, rule, identity choice, feedback cue, or progression feature. They test after every single change. The reflection asks them to compare remixing against building from scratch. | Remixed game + feature reasons + test result Full class period |
💾 GIVE EVERY STUDENT TWO WAYS BACK INTO THE PROJECT
MakeCode Arcade can save locally in the browser. Signing in adds cloud sync, which is the easiest Irving ISD route across shared devices. Before students leave Day 1, have them download the project PNG as a second copy. That PNG contains the code and can be imported from the MakeCode home screen.
Irving ISD default: choose Microsoft and use the school account. On shared laptops, keep Remember Me off. If sign-in is unavailable, students may still work and download the project PNG before leaving.
MATERIALS + PREP
- One device per student with Chrome, and the skillmap link ready to push out: arcade.makecode.com/--skillmap. Lesson 2 starts from the plain arcade.makecode.com instead, because students open their own saved projects.
- Check the Irving ISD Microsoft sign-in route before Lesson 1. Keep the project-PNG backup routine ready for students whose account is unavailable.
- Nothing to print, nothing to buy, no class code to generate. The skillmap is open to anyone with the link.
- Screenshot and Save controls on the board. Day 1 evidence is a completed-map screenshot plus a code-to-game explanation. Students also download their project PNG for Day 2. Day 2 evidence is a gameplay screenshot, two named features, one tested result, and the reflection.
WATCH-FORS
- Keep the learning target narrow. Students are not building a game from scratch. They learn a working pattern through tutorials, then prove understanding by changing that system with purpose and testing the result.
- Use the language supports at the point of need. Both tabs include the task sequence, vocabulary, evidence requirements, and recovery steps. The optional walkthrough appears in the English tab; students can complete the assignment without it.
- Use the Level Up menu after the required evidence is complete. Students may finish a third tutorial, add a third feature, or exchange playable links for a quick peer test.
GRADING. 100 POINTS
Lesson 2: Remix is the module’s Major grade, at 100 points, and it is the only item here that moves a grade. Lesson 1: Skillmap is 0 points. It is the practice run that gets students into MakeCode Arcade.
Both lessons already tell students what finished looks like. Lesson 1: two tutorials complete, screenshot uploaded, code-to-game connection explained, and project PNG downloaded. Lesson 2: project renamed, two or more features added, each change tested, gameplay screenshot uploaded, and the two features plus one test result named in comments.
Both items and the module are unpublished. Publish as you go.