Gamestar Mechanic

https://gamestarmechanic.com/
Assignment 1 Task 1
Clifton Russ

Task 1: Describe and explain a Web 2.0 tehnology
Gamestar Mechanic is a web 2.0 tool that not only allows students to develop games, but also allows
educators to teach using a fun and captivating tool. It is designed for students within the ages of 7 and
14, but can be utilized for any age. The educational values of building games include writing and
storytelling, systems thinking, problem solving and art.
Strengths-
Simplicity: This web tool is designed to allow young students to create their videogames without
any prior knowledge or experience. All of the options are intuitive to a new user from creating
their account to the actual development of their first game.
Engaging Tutorial: This game has a very unique tutorial that forces you to be engaged in order to
unlock certain options. The tutorial is thoughtfully woven into an intriguing plot of a young
person wanting to become a game creator. As you play along through the tutorial, you learn
how to utilize the new unlocked options.
Videogame references: The tool has videogame references that bring nostalgia to many
videogame players which will connect the students to the game. There are phrases from The
princess is another castle to Do a barrel roll with notable characters such as Cid. The game
also allows you to mimic some of your favorite 8 bit games with a little required imagination.
This makes the game feel more like an actual game that players can relate to.
Weaknesses-
No programming: This web tool focuses on allowing students to design videogames, but there
isnt any aspect of programming. This gives a false sense of what game design really is. Although
this web tool is geared towards children, there are ways to incorporate programming with a
simple interface.
Outdated audio and graphics: The game has outdated audio and graphics reminiscent of the 8-
bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) days. For students that are already gaming, their
cellphone has better audio and graphics than Gamestar Mechanic. This maybe a turn off to
gamers, but it can be compensated with the designing aspect of the game. The more involved
the student is with the game, the less the student will focus on the lack of audio and graphics.
Gameplay : Similar to the audio and graphics, the gameplay is very limited. For any instructor
that played video games in the 8 bit (NES) and 16 bit (Super NES, Sega Genesis) era, they will
immediately be accustomed to the controls. For the current students, there might be some
dissonance between what the student wants to do and what they are able to do. There are also
some quirky movements such as the ability to move forward or backward AFTER jumping as
opposed to jumping in a diagonal direction, which is more akin to reality.
Have to pay to unlock the full site: Although the site has a very creative tutorial that involves a
story plot, the students are unable to finish the complete story without paying. Furthermore,
the incomplete story equates to an incomplete array of options to choose from. This coupled
with ostentatious advertisements can be burdensome in an educational environment.
Furthermore, it is a not a onetime fee, but a monthly fee.
Creativity is imperative: Unless your goal is to simply create a videogame, an instructor will have
to think outside the box in order to maximize the sites utility. Although the game has
educational benefits such as problem solving and art, the game isnt inherently favoring one
curriculum over another, so the responsibility then shifts to the instructor to create the
crosswalk.
Special Features
Online Community- The biggest special feature is the online community that allows students
to publish their games while playing and reviewing other published games. This feature could
be used to incorporate classmates either in evaluations or in the actual lesson plan. The online
community does not have any live chat features, which is a positive security feature.
Similar Web tools
Scratch: Scratch is another educational website that allows users to create not only games, but
also stories and animations for students.
RPG Maker: RPG Maker is another online game creator, but it focuses on traditional turned
based Role Playing Games (RPG) and not on the educational aspect.


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