Beyond Fun and Games: The Hidden Benefits of Teaching Kids Game Development
Maysalward's story began in 2003 when Java, Symbian, and feature phones ruled the scene. We weren't just Jordan's first mobile game studio but the first in the MENA region! Our passion has been twofold: crafting captivating mobile experiences with unique intellectual properties and fostering a thriving games industry ecosystem. This dedication to building games continues today, but over the past 13 years, it has been enriched by new challenges—empowering the next generation of game developers in Jordan and beyond. This shift in focus, fueled by a desire to empower young minds, has become an integral part of Maysalward's identity.
As the founder and CEO, I'm incredibly proud of my team for our involvement in several capacity-building programs targeting young students. We believe in empowering them to become part of this thriving industry for reasons far beyond the impressive industry revenue (over $200 billion) and unmatched recruitment opportunities. In a region where the mobile game industry is experiencing explosive year-over-year growth, fueled by high smartphone penetration, a young and tech-savvy demographic, and a focus on localized content and accessible monetization models, the true value lies in the critical skills students develop through mobile game development—skills that are highly sought after for the future workforce.
A Decade of Empowering Jordan's Gaming Future
Maysalward has partnered with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development since 2011 to establish the Jordan Gaming Lab . The initiative has expanded to 7 labs and a fully equipped bus for workshops in rural areas. The lab supports Jordanian game developers with resources, workshops, education, and financial aid. Events like the App Challenge and The Gaming Summit help students showcase their talent and connect with industry opportunities. The goal is to empower young Jordanians to create games, influence the gaming industry, and inspire the next generation.
In this blog post, I'll explore how learning game development can enhance education and boost critical thinking skills. Join me as we uncover the benefits of integrating games into learning environments. With a cumulative 13 years of experience working on different programs, including one with students aged 14-16, I've witnessed firsthand the incredible impact game development can have on young learners.
Through this journey, I've seen how creating games makes learning more engaging and fosters essential skills like problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration.
The App Challenge and the mobile focus.
The focus on developing mobile games perfectly aligns with His Majesty King Abdullah II's visionary outlook. In 2010, he identified the industry's potential and initiated The App Challenge as one of the King Abdullah II Fund capacity-building programs, showcasing Jordan's dedication to empowering its young population.
The App Challenge aims to inspire Jordanian youth aged 14-16 to pursue careers as app developers. This innovative program follows a structured three-phase strategy. Initially, it sparks creativity by engaging students in interactive sessions on the history of mobile games and storytelling, fostering teamwork through various activities, and initiating a Design Thinking Challenge where participants brainstorm their unique app or game concepts. The second phase focuses on skill development, providing technical training in Unity, AR, 3D, and 2D creation through workshops and mentorship by industry experts. Lastly, students refine their ideas, enhance their presentation abilities, and compete in a final pitch event, all while being motivated to continue their educational journey after the program. Through this project-based and gamified approach, young Jordanians acquire the essential skills and knowledge to become future pioneers influencing the app development landscape.
As Maysalward, a leading mobile game developer in Jordan, we're incredibly proud to partner with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development on The App Challenge Program. Jordanian youth have immense potential in the app development world, and this program allows us to play a key role in nurturing that talent.
Our expertise goes beyond just being trainers. We actively contribute to designing the curriculum, ensuring it reflects the latest trends and equips students with relevant skills. Our developers might even lead workshops or guide students as mentors during the program. We also leverage our industry connections to bring in guest speakers or jurors, exposing participants to diverse perspectives within the app development field. The goal is to provide a well-rounded experience that ignites their passion and equips them with the knowledge and skills to become future innovators in this ever-evolving industry. It is incredibly rewarding to witness their journey from brainstorming initial ideas to presenting polished prototypes, and we are confident this program plays a significant role in shaping the future of Jordanian app development, with many students already showing success in this field after graduation or during their university studies.
Since its launch in 2011, The App Challenge has had a significant impact. Here are some highlights:
Also, you can read more about the app challenge in this blog post [Read More]
This summer, Maysalward is partnering with the Jordanian Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Digital Economy and the Ministry of Education. Together, we're organizing a nationwide summer camp to introduce creative mobile game design and development to 150 schools nationwide.
We're also expanding our reach within Jordan through our ongoing partnership with Zain's YESJO program. This program equips students with valuable science, innovation, and creativity skills, likely under the Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC) umbrella. We're particularly excited to announce that the program’s "Yes JO" Bootcamp venturing is reaching Aqaba this year after previous years of success with ZINC in Amman, Karak, and Irbid.
Our dedication to empowering young minds extends beyond Jordan's borders. We recently completed the first round of a program for NEOM, bringing our training services to school students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This expansion fills me with immense pride, allowing us to share our knowledge and passion for mobile game development on a wider scale. You can read more about NEOM Game Dev Challenge [Read more]
By fostering a culture of innovation and providing practical skills development opportunities, Maysalward is committed to empowering young minds. The App Challenge and our other initiatives are building the future of mobile game development, not just in Jordan but across the region. I'm incredibly proud to be a part of it all.
The Future is Playful
By integrating game development into the education system, we are preparing students for potential careers in technology and equipping them with essential life skills. Teaching game development isn't just an option; keeping pace with technological advancement and building a strong, sustainable future is necessary.
Introducing game development to kids at a young age isn't just about creating the next gaming prodigy. It's about nurturing valuable skills like problem-solving, logic, and computational thinking. By building games, even simple ones, children engage in trial and error, learning to break down problems into steps and develop solutions. This translates into stronger analytical and critical thinking skills that benefit them in all areas of learning.
When children engage in game development, they invariably dive into a world of problem-solving and creative thinking. Building games requires them to break down complex problems into manageable steps, honing their analytical and logical thinking skills. Through trial and error, they learn resilience, adaptability, and a methodical way of thinking.
Empowering Future Game Creators: A Comprehensive Learning Journey
Our passion lies in nurturing the next generation of game creators through a unique pedagogical approach that blends the engaging elements of game development-based learning with project-based activities and self-directed exploration. This approach forms the cornerstone of all our programs, unfolding in three distinct phases.
In the first phase, "Level Up Your Concepts: Building a Strong Foundation," we introduce key game development ideas through engaging activities. This involves looking at video game history, studying various game types and mechanics, and understanding the importance of storytelling in games. We focus on teamwork by doing activities that improve communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills needed for a strong game development team. The main part of this phase is the Design Thinking Challenge, where participants create game ideas that consider user needs and target audience, using gamification to keep them engaged.
The second phase focuses on developing technical skills to create games using Unity, 2D/3D, and animation tools. Mentors provide guidance and feedback. Iterative learning includes quizzes, peer feedback, and playtesting for improvement. The curriculum covers coding, user interface design, game mechanics, marketing, monetization, and learning game design techniques for better engagement.
In the final phase, we help students improve their communication and presentation skills. This phase ends with a final presentation, demo day, or game competition where our students share their game prototypes with others. We support ongoing learning by offering resources for future game development, such as open-source tools, online Discord channels, and educational opportunities. We encourage learners to keep learning and exploring game creation. Recognizing hard work and dedication, Celebrating Success honors achievements and inspires future projects. Our approach includes learning game development, hands-on activities, and independent exploration to develop technical and essential life skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.
The Benefits of Integrating Game Development in Primary Education
Integrating game development in primary education has numerous benefits, such as enhancing problem-solving skills, fostering creativity, improving collaboration, introducing programming early, building resilience, and making learning fun. New AI and responsive engineering technologies further enhance these benefits, providing additional tools for student success. Teaching game development is essential in preparing students for a changing world.
Continuously Researching New Tools to Enhance Educational Experiences
In our continuous efforts to enhance the impact of our game development and educational programs, we are currently exploring the capabilities of integrating tools such as Minecraft: Education Edition into our training modules. This potential addition could offer substantial benefits for both educators and students. Teachers could gain access to a unique platform to introduce fundamental game design concepts like world-building, resource management, and in-game logic. Students, in turn, could engage with these ideas in a fun and immersive way, sparking their creativity and enhancing their problem-solving skills within the familiar and beloved environment of Minecraft. Exploring this integration could significantly boost the community's enthusiasm for game development from students and parents.
In Minecraft: Education Edition, students can learn coding using the Code Builder tool to write code that controls their in-game characters and automates tasks. They can choose block-based coding for beginners or JavaScript for more advanced learners. This interactive method helps students learn coding concepts such as loops, variables, and conditionals in a fun and practical way.
Minecraft: Education Edition is a fun tool that helps students learn math, science, and history through building and problem-solving activities. It teaches skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and coding in an interactive way, making learning enjoyable for children while parents can support their education.
In the ever-evolving world of technology, equipping our youth with the right tools and fostering their creativity is paramount. Here at Maysalward, we believe that game development is more than just fun and games – it's a gateway to unlocking a powerful skillset for the future.
Let's Build the Architects of Play Together
Our game-based learning approach helps students become game creators by engaging them in interactive exploration, project-based activities, and self-directed learning. This fosters skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.
Imagine a future where children design and build mobile games instead of just playing them. Nurturing a passion for game development and preparing them for the future workforce makes this possible.
Parents, enroll your child in a game development program to empower them to excel in tech. Educators, incorporate game development into your curriculum to equip students with essential skills for success in the 21st century.
Let's work together to support the next generation of innovators and cultivate future game creators.