If you have a little gamer at home, you should check out Conductive Music CIC’s affordable video game workshop going live this February half term. Through live online sessions run by teachers, artists and technology professionals, children can get into video game development combined with music and storytelling. And all of that for just a fiver!
Homeschooling our children during COVID has made one thing crystal clear; having to come up with new meaningful, educational and entertaining things for kids indoors is hard work. So it was an easy decision when Conductive Music, a not-for-profit organisation based in Lewisham in South East London reached out asking if we could support them with a blog-post to promote their latest workshop.
Momocuri online workshop
Momocuri is a cross-disciplinary, creative learning project, designed to inspire children into unexpected learning and career pathways. Using dramatic stories and music from international cultural heritage, combined with creative coding, they will guide children to get started with video game development using their own original musical video games. They will learn how to plan, code and compose in just one week!
In a series of interactive online sessions teaching video game development, they use a spooky tale from Ancient Japan to show how storytelling, coding, and music can come together to create a fabulous RPG!
By the end of the workshop, participants will have created their own musical game demo video, and take away all the skills and (free) software they need to continue their video game development journey!
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the content:
Who is the Video Game Development Workshop for?
- Students aged 8-12 (flexible)
- Kids passionate about video games, music and stories, or any combinations
Date and Time
- From the comfort of your own home (in lockdown) On Zoom
- February Half Term: 15th – 18th 2021
- 9am OR 1.30pm, for 90 minutes each day
Preparations – what you need to get started
- Laptop/tablet, ideally with external screen connection (TVs are fine!)
- Headphones, Zoom app and Chrome browser
- All software is free and browser based (no installations required)
- 90′ a day to follow the lessons, + 1 or 2 hours daily to work on your project.
What children will learn from the workshop
Starting out, the kids will learn to create their own compelling story, taught by Laura Sampson, a professional storyteller. They will then learn how to turn their amazing story into a video game, taught by Laura with help from chief coder and technologist Dr Enrico Bertelli. Last but not least, the kids will learn how to create the perfect musical moods for their game, taught by Dr. Yui Shikakura, expert musician and researcher of Japanese ancient stories.
Prices and Certification!
- Enter the competition to win one of the 3 Meowbits, to download and bring your video games anywhere, worth £30
- Achieve your Conductive Music MOMOCURI Certificate
How much?
Only £5 + donation
This project has been sponsored by Arts Council England and the Daiwa Foundation. Each day of lessons costs you only £1!
What is Conductive Music CIC?
Conductive Music is a not-for-profit organisation based in London run by a team of teachers, artists and technology professionals, passionate about teaching children vital skills for their future. All of the lessons combine STEM skills with the arts, integrate music with coding to foster cross-disciplinary resilience and creativity. They have eight years of experience teaching in 400+ primary and secondary schools, as well as over 50 Universities across the United Kingdom, Europe, as well as across Asia.
What are the benefits of video gaming?
While children spending too much time in front of video games is a valid concern, let’s not forget that gaming as well as video game development can actually have some really positive effects on children:
1. Visual-spatial abilities
Most interactive games are set in a 3D world that needs to be navigated. By playing these games kids can develop a better understanding of distance, space and direction.
2. Solving problems
Many video games are based on a story, a quest, a challenge. These give children the chance to take on problems and find solutions, honing planning, organisation, and flexible thinking.
3. Social connections
Being based on virtual realities, video games offer the possibility to find people with a common interest to connect with. As some kids have trouble fitting in and making friends in real life, games offer virtual playdates with real-life friends. They also give them something to talk about and to bond over with classmates or playmates.
4. Creative learning
Video games are based on someone’s imagination and feed upon others’ creativity. When LEGOs and other plays are not sufficient or of interest anymore to your kids, video games give the chance to continue using creativity in their everyday life.
Momocuri - Video Game Development Workshop for Kids
Online workshop teaching children aged 8-12 video game development combined with storytelling and music.
Event Type: Event
Event Attendance Mode: OnlineEventAttendanceMode
Event Status: EventScheduled
Performer: Organization
Performer Name: Conductive Music CIC
Performer URL: http://bit.ly/2LtKeiz
Start Date: 2021-02-15 09:00
End Date: 2021-02-18 13:30
Ticket URL: http://bit.ly/38KC8Lq
Entry Price: 5
Currency: GBP
Availability: InStock
Availability Starts: 2021-02-15T09:00:00