This school year, two classes of students from Barber Middle School will partner with students from the other side of the world to create games with the help of their teachers trained in G4C’s game design curriculum.
The Game Exchange employs technology to connect students in different countries and provide meaningful international experiences that help youth gain global competencies, develop critical 21st-century skills and acquire the necessary knowledge needed to thrive in today’s increasingly interconnected world.
The virtual exchange program joins teens in the United States, Bahrain, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates in creative dialogue and collaboration based on a shared interest in video games and game design. Students join with peers from other countries to form “game studios” and collaborate virtually to create games.
Each semester, one class from Barber will create video games on one of the Global Goals and partner with students from Abu Dhabi. Although they are in different time zones with an ocean between them, the Cobb students will work together with the students from Abu Dhabi three times. The games they create will be a part of a video game competition.
The students also get to participate in Game Jams and Hack-a-thons to assist with building their games. Equipped with a studio identity and game character, students then attend game jam events hosted in each region where they work towards creating a playable impact game in response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“By designing games on issues that matter to them, students become informed creators of media and active change-makers in their communities. I am very proud to have this experience with the Barber Braves,” said Saundra Watts, Barber Computer Science, and STEM teacher.
This is not the first year Barber students have participated in the Games for Change Competition. They have created video games on a specific theme for several years and have won a few times. Cooper Middle School is also participating in the competition this year.
