Wyndham Tech School is very pleased to host the GDC 2024 Global Design Challenge Program.
The Collaborative Game Development Program, a joint initiative by the International Branch of the Department of Education and Wyndham Tech School, leverages the powerful capabilities of Unreal Engine to offer students an immersive and practical experience in game development. This course is designed to go beyond traditional learning boundaries, fostering not just technical skills in a leading industry-standard tool, but also promoting critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork as students explore solutions for UN Sustainability Goals.
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Creating Worlds Together: Bridging Cultures and Innovating for Sustainability
Creating Worlds Together brings together the creative students of Australia and other countries in the Asia Pacific region to develop an educational video game focused on promoting the UN Sustainability Goals.
This project leverages the unique cultural and technological strengths of both nations, creating an immersive game that educates players about sustainable practices and innovative solutions to global challenges. Through interactive gameplay, players engage with real-world knowledge and sustainability practices, gaining insights into effective strategies for addressing these goals.
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Games for Social Good
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Creating Worlds Together directly supports emphasizes using games as powerful tools for social change, particularly aligning with the UN's Sustainability Goals by educating players on various sustainability goals. Through interactive gameplay, players learn about sustainable agricultural practices in countries in the Asia Pacific region and innovative tech solutions in Australia, fostering a deeper understanding of global sustainability issues.
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Collaboration and cross-cultural Understanding
Creating Worlds Together exemplifies international collaboration, combining the technological expertise and cultural insights of teams from Australia and other countries in the Asia Pacific Region. This partnership not only enriches the game’s content but also demonstrates the power of collaborative innovation in addressing global challenges.
By working together, the project teams have created a game that reflects the diverse perspectives and experiences of both countries, promoting mutual understanding and cooperation.
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Educational Impact
Creating Worlds Together serves as an educational tool, integrating real-world knowledge and sustainability practices into its gameplay. By exploring virtual environments based on real locations in the Asia Pacific region and Australia, players gain valuable insights into effective strategies for meeting UN sustainability goals. The game's educational content is designed to be engaging and informative, making it a valuable resource for teachers and students alike.
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Cutting Edge Technology
Creating Worlds Together utilizes Unreal Engine, CAD, AI generation and media to create high-quality graphics, assets and immersive gameplay. This technology enhances the user experience, making the educational content more engaging and accessible to a wide audience. The game’s sophisticated design and interactive elements ensure that players remain interested and motivated to learn about sustainability and global challenges.
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Audience
Creating Worlds Together is designed to appeal to a broad range of students. From young gamers in the Wyndham and Hobsons Bay area interested in environmental issues to educators seeking interactive teaching tools, the project learning and interactive elements are crafted to be inclusive and engaging. This wide appeal ensures that the project has reached a diverse school base, furthering Wyndham Tech School's drive real-world change through gaming.
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Creating Worlds Together is reaching further, with a comprehensive outreach program by the International Branch of the Department of Education, targeting schools in the Asia Pacific Area. The project plans to integrate the game into curricula for Victorian schools, providing a powerful tool for teaching sustainability and fostering global citizenship.
By highlighting the importance of international collaboration and innovative solutions, this project aspires to inspire the next generation of leaders and change-makers. The project’s focus on global outreach and educational integration underscores its potential to make a significant impact on UN sustainability goals.
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In conclusion, Creating Worlds Together embodies the spirit of the Wyndham Tech School by using game development as a platform for education, innovation, and social impact.
How the Game prototype works
Gameplay
The game starts with a professional splash video advertsising the CWT program.
Students will name the game and place the games here.
You find yourself in a room where prototype NPCs represent people discussing a specific UN Sustainability Goal. They explain you how you can help with the problems by exploring locations in the Asia Pacific Region.
Once you have listened to the call for action, you will see a door frame appear. Walk in it and you will shrink! You find yourself on the books on the table!
Once you can walk on the table, you can walk into any of the portals. They will take you to the landscapes the students will design. At the moment the landscapes are blank templates.
As you explore the landscapes, you must look for items that represent skills and knowledge that will assist the world in meeting the goal. Students will be making these objects.
The Power of Global Collaboration with the United Nations Sustainability Goals
When students research one of the United Nations Sustainability Goals as inspiration for developing an object-finding game, they embark on an educational journey that deepens their understanding of global issues and enhances their creative game design skills.
Here’s how they effectively conduct this research and implement their findings into the game:
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1. Understanding the Goal
Students start by comprehensively understanding what the goal aims to achieve. They explore the official UN resources and related materials to grasp the goal’s objectives.
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2. Global and Local Research
Global Perspective: Students should gather data on poverty statistics worldwide, understanding different regions' challenges. This research can include global reports, articles, and documentaries by international organizations like the World Bank, IMF, and various NGOs.
Local Insight: Investigating the goal in their own community or country provides a more personal connection to the issue. This could involve field visits, interviews with local NGOs, and discussions with individuals who are directly affected by the goal.
3. Game Concept Development
Using their research, students can start developing the game concept:
Game Setting and Story: The game could be set in multiple real-world locations that reflect different aspects and challenges meeting the goal. Each setting might offer unique objects to find that are integral to understanding and solving the goal.
Objectives and Mechanics: Players could be tasked with creating 3D objects represent skills and knowledge that help communities overcome the goal. Each found object could unlock educational content or stories of how such resources make a difference.
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UN Sustainability Goals
Each Game Company will choose ONE of the following UN Sustainability
Behind the scenes
Students will:
1. Create a game development company with six team members.
2. Research one of the UN Sustainability Goals. Create a call-to-action dialogue to start the game.
3. Research and create 3d objects representing knowledge and skills from both countries needed to meet the goal.
4. Create a world representing part of their country to hide these objects.
5. Complete a team portfolio.
6. Create a presentation of the prototype.