Creating Future Video Game Geniuses

Advocating for the U.N. Global Goals for Sustainable Development through video games. 

Middle-school students in the Future Genius Beta Masters program at George Fischer Middle School this summer took action to advocate for the United Nations global goals for sustainable development... digitally!

The students used their creativity and critical-thinking skills to plan and develop a video game with environmental conservation and sustainability in mind. Throughout the program, the students followed the real-world production process for planning and developing an innovative game prototype, going from ideation to completion all in the span of one week.

Working in teams, the students had hands-on opportunities to learn and utilize Construct 2, a game-making platform, and Piskel Sprite editor, a graphic design and animation tool, to bring their game concepts to life.

At the end of the week-long program the student-teams released their games to a panel of their peers and teachers in an attempt to get faux investments of seed money that they would need to bring their game to market.

Students Francisco Zambrano and Aurora Pereira-German debuted their game, Plant Man and the Tree Crisis. The goal of the game is for the Plant Man, the hero, to dodge a multitude of obstacles in order to stop a villain from cutting down all the trees in the world.

Zambrano attended the program when it was offered last summer and came back this year as a volunteer. Pereira-German was encouraged to attend this summer by her parents as she has an interest in video games.

Other student-created games focused on saving the world from a villain who is dumping toxic sludge into waterways, navigating enemies to collect food resources, and even a game where mutant dinosaurs come back to life due to a science experiment gone wrong.

Amazing results all around for our Future Video Game Geniuses!