Daisy Digital Game Design

The Digital Game Design badge is the second in this year's set of "progressive" Coding for Good badges.  Like the Cybersecurity and Robotics series, the badge pamphlets for these badges show three badges rather than one, and, rather than giving a choice of three activities for each requirement for each badge, they simply give age-appropriate background information on the badge topic.  The VTK plans are clearly lesson plans, not just groups of activities related to a topic.  

The badges were sponsored by codeSpark Academy and while the VTK plans are "unplugged" and do not require the use of a computer, the materials provided to the leaders include a file about codeSpark Academy and which of its games related to the various badges.  

According to GSUSA's Badge Explorer, the requirements for the Daisy Digital Game Design badge are:

Explore how video games can make a difference

• Explore tools used to develop digital games
• Plan a maze game
• Build, test, and improve your maze game

When you've earned this badge, you'll know how video games are designed.

Below are the steps in the VTK plans:

Brownie Digital Game Design

The second badge in the Brownie Coding for Good series is Digital Game Design.  You can purchase a badge insert that covers all three badges in your council shop or you can buy a pdf download from GSUSA.  However, like the inserts for robotics and for cybersecurity, the Coding for Good insert is mainly background information as opposed to being in the three choices for each of five requirements format.  Instead, the insert refers you to VTK for the activities to earn these badges.

This article is a summary of the VTK plans for Brownie Digital Game design. The idea is to allow you to decide, without reading 30 pages of a script found in two different places, whether your troop wants to do these badges.

The activities in the VTK plans are "unplugged"; they do not require a computer or computer expertise.  However, GSUSA has partnered with Codespark Academy and if you are working on a service unit or council-level program for these badges you can get a code that allows you short term free access.