The first Rockwood Library Game Camp, created through the partnership between OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and Multnomah County Libraries, was featured in an article by Pamplin Media. From December 30 to January 4, the organizations hosted a games education camp for underprivileged Portland youth.
“’This was a good entry point for learning about the gaming environment,’ said Megan Pixley, a senior at Reynolds High School who loves video games and aspires to become a video arts story writer.
During game camp, students built their own game worlds using cards, paper, tiles, dice and tokens; wrote and illustrated a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ game with Twine, a storytelling software tool; brought their games to life with SNAP; and had a free day to continue working on their projects.
Their goal is to eventually lead workshops at multiple libraries at a time, with lead mentors broadcasting lessons through a video network such as Google Hangouts. Several volunteer mentors would assist students at each library with their projects.
‘We want to make sure students are able to take something home with them,’ Lewis said. ‘Each kid gets a USB drive with their projects, software and starting points to get them launched.’
Lewis and Sens say they try to create ‘a space of exploration and discovery,’ so if a student doesn’t want to do a particular project, there are other options.”
By Lisa K. Anderson
Photo courtesy of Jim Clark
Originally posted by Pamplin Media
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