The workshop sought to integrate indigenous culture through participation with elders, artists, language holders and location. Elders and language holders were brought in to try the games as playtesters and to inform the design. The group then created a Cree language game that allowed for the elders and youth to teach and share the language in a fun atmosphere. NWT artist John Rombough talked with youth about his development and career as an artist and where he’d like to see his art go in the digital realm. Video games are a perfect medium to bring northern artwork to life and this workshop series hopes to develop that relationship. In Fort Smith, we spent the first week of the workshop at the Thebacha hall by Salt River a beautiful and culturally significant location for the Northwest Territory Metis Nation.
Indigenous people partake in the medium of video games but are under represented or worse falsely represented in that medium. The workshop strove to provide a critical lens to see video games and consider how indigenous people’s stories and art could be integrated into this medium that most youth are actively engaging with. A highlight of the the workshop was seeing elders and youth interacting with games as an intergenerational medium. Elders acting as language consultants helped the workshop participants to come up with story ideas to integrate into their games. In the NWT, games have always been played in the form of traditional games and later with playing cards and board-games. This point of contact allowed youth and elders to see game design beyond the computer and work first hand with the creative and clever learning experiences game design can provide. Teaching game design as a constant work in progress was a captive and collaborative process and through play testing, designing and discovery, it was also empowering.
Written by: Travis Mercredi,
Feb. 17-24th, 2017
3:30 – 5:00 pm (with additional evening sessions TBD)
Free
Application Form: hackspacentapplication
Consent Form:hackspacentparentalconsentform
Littlebits: DIY electronics where participants explore by inventing devices using supplied electronic building blocks. By combining hands on projects with online lessons and examples, we hope to tap into kids’ innate curiosity by getting them to build with their hands, at the same time as they interact with quizzes that ensure they understand the workings behind the project, to teach youth.
Toy Hacking: Soldering and circuit bending old toys to familiarize youth with the basics of how circuitry works. Salvaged electronics, toys and instruments will be dismantled and re-appropriated into new devices. At the end of the workshop participants will be able to leave with their own custom Toys, Objects or Musical Instruments and a basic understanding behind the function of everyday electronics through guided, hands on exploration.
3D printing / Modeling: Model building and scanning physical objects to recreate them with 3D printing technology. Participants will learn how to model an object in a 3d program such as blender. These skills are transferable to many uses including prototyping and video game development.
