Campers Explore Lego Worlds and Pixel Press Floors

The last day of the Game Design Camp kicked-off with a visit from RCET researcher Enrico Gandolfi. Dr. Gandolfi is from Italy and as a research associate here at Kent State University, his work focuses on the study of virtual worlds and games in education. Dr. Gandolfi has been involved with the beta testing of Lego Worlds, a Lego Minecraft-like video game.  Similar to Minecraft, Lego Worlds features procedurally generated worlds where players can customize their surroundings but Lego Worlds features  vehicles, buildings, and other content based on actual Lego playsets, as well as customizable Minifig characters. In addition to building and customizing their surroundings, players are able to populate their worlds by selecting from the gallery of Lego characters, creatures, models, and driveable vehicles, and then play out their own unique adventures. 

The game is currently under development but a beta version for Windows OS computers is currently available for purchase and download through the online STEAM store.

Later in the session the campers were introduced to the Pixel Press Floors app for designing video games. Pixel Press Floors introduces kids to basic design concepts by letting them create their own games. By drawing predefined shapes known as “glyphs," players are able create blueprints for their game that can be tested, designed, played, and shared with a global community in the Floors arcade.