The Serious Game Design Course had its kick off in January 2022 during the traditional EduMais Summer Camp. And it was a great succes.

The project encourages the creation of digital games by children from the favelas through a framework named “I’ve made my game.”  The process, based on collaboration, imagination, allows children to be involved in intellectual and affective activities of negotiation, ideas development, results analysis,  interaction and creation.

Play is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life. Why? Because through playing children learn to think creatively and interact socially.

Through play, they develop physically and discover a slew of emotional skills and they learn how to process the world. In short, play is pivotal to your child’s development. Play is how children learn.

The project was done in collaboration with GAMES FOR HEALTH EUROPE FOUNDATION, a Dutch non-governmental organization. With their professional help more than 40 children participated in the educational game design course.

Tuesday and Wednesday the students of the EduMais Summer Camp Educational Game Design Course started with the Story writing and storytelling workshop. Every day the teachers prepare the groups and the course of the days to come. Most of the teachers are former students of EduMais themselves. Some of them are even ‘born’ at the school as they call it.

Video about Educational Game Design Course in the favelas in Rio de Janeiro

Creating games: a festival for the brain & dancing for the soul

Day 2 of week 3 involves practicing the art of game design and developing games. The different groups exchange assignments to each other. Dev needs assets that the art team creates and the dev team builds new maze maps created by the game design team. It feels as if there is a studio in the making.

Today the students created the first Educational Game Concepts: whoooppp whoooop. PARTY. The day started with a Game Design Class by Ellis Bartholomeus – better known as Ellis in Wonderland. The workshop was parallel translated by Marcelo Vasconcellos. Both Marcelo and Ellis are friends of Games for Health since the first conference in 2011. So great they are willing voluntarily contribute to this Game Design Course.

Serious Game Design – Day 1 – Introductions

This morning we started at 8:30 with briefing the course teachers for day 1 of the EduMaisGame Summer Course. At 9 o’clock the kids came in. 39 registered and 36 showed up! Amazing. Diana and Henrique started with the rules of engagement together with the kids.

No shouting, being respectful, walk not run and all the good and bad manners listed as does and don’ts.

Serious Game Design – Day 2 – Making objects for play

What a drive, what a thrill and what an energy the EduMais Summer Camp students have! Today was about three things: Making. Making. Making. We started the day with a classic one – yes a classic one: the Spaghetti – Marshmallow Challenge. A challenge where you have to build the tallest freestanding structure with 20 spaghetti’s, 1 meter of rope, 1 meter of tape and a Marshmallow.