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🕹️ Teaching Tip: Game Mechanics with 5PM

Designing game mechanics can be challenging for new developers. A successful design provides players with mechanics that offer choices and advance the game. The 5-Part Model (5PM) helps break down key elements of a game mechanic.

Example: Super Mario Bros. Power-Up
When Mario collects a fire flower, he gains the ability to throw fireballs.

The 5-Part Model:

  1. Representation: How the mechanic appears—Mario throws visible fireballs that damage enemies.
  2. Tokens: Player interactions—Mario collects a fire flower to gain the ability, and players press a button to throw fireballs.
  3. Resources: Risks/rewards—Throwing fireballs can eliminate enemies, but getting too close risks losing the power.
  4. Goals: Objectives tied to the mechanic.
  5. Decisions: Choices for players—collect or skip the fire flower and use or save the fireball ability.

Students may find some parts complex, so starting with the three goals for each mechanic is a great first step!

For more information about the 5PM approach to designing game mechanics, download the article 5-Part Model: A Formal Approach to Designing Mechanics by Rodolfo Mora-Zamora, et al. as published online by Centro Latinoamericano de Estudios en Informatica (CLEI).

👾 Game Jams

Indie (independent) game developers sometimes participate in game jams to practice their design and programming skills. Game jams, like hackathons focused on games, also provide opportunities for designers and developers in various disciplines to collaborate. Game jams can be in-person or virtual. Some jams last a day or a weekend while others may last a week or a month.

Hosting a class- or school-wide game jam not only provides your students with more opportunities to practice their game design and development skills, but can pique the interest of other students. You can create your own game jam requirements or choose to join a game jam organized by indie developers or organizations.

The popular indie game site itch.io provides a tool to join and host your own game jam. You can preview current jams to get ideas or choose one to share with your students. You might choose to get your students involved in a game jam hosted by an organization, like the annual Global Game Jam. If your students have a great idea for a game jam, you could set up a student committee to plan and organize a school-wide game jam.

Need help getting started with a Game Jam idea? Try out this Game Jam Idea Generator program on CodeHS, fork it, and add to it as you get more ideas.

💼 CodeHS Career Center

Discover how computer science is used across various industries from transportation to healthcare!

The CodeHS Career Center helps students match their computer science skills to their passions.

Whether students are interested in sports, design, finance, sustainability, or something else, they’ll find a connection to computer science and better understand how they can apply the skills they’re learning today to a future career.

There are over 20 industries to explore! Each industry includes an overview of how CS is used, articles featuring real world connections, and a career exploration lesson. Check out the page dedicated to the field of game design!


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🚗 CodeHS Road Trip

For the 2024–2025 school year, CodeHS has hit the road again to visit K-12 computer science classrooms across the United States. Whether you’re in a bustling city or a quiet rural town, we’re excited to make computer science accessible and fun for students, everywhere. You can still request a visit from CodeHS!


📝 CSEd Week

It's CSEdWeek this week! We're excited to bring you a variety of Hour of Code tutorials and activities. This is a perfect opportunity to get your school involved in the excitement. Join us in celebrating computer science education and inspire your students to continue coding in the future!


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💬 Stay Connected

  1. Follow us on XTikTok, and Instagram
  2. Chat with others in the CodeHS Educators Facebook Group
  3. Explore the CodeHS Game Design Hub

Happy Coding, 

The CodeHS Team

Interested in learning more about CodeHS Pro? Request a quote.