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Game Maker

Build Your Game

Games don’t just bring people together to play them, but also to invent them. Creating games of all types is a fun and collaborative process that can be just as fun as playing the finished product. Creative teams need members with diverse interests as they:

  • Imagine a story world
  • Write rules
  • Draw pixel art
  • Create your table game’s pieces
  • Learn graphic design
  • Record sounds and music
  • Calculate probability distributions, and
  • Test, test, test to maximize the fun factor.

Python Game Coding

  • We’ll help you learn to program in Python. Whether you already code in another programming language or are a complete beginner, we’ll have you coding games in no time.
  • Your team will build out a unique story world, art, sounds, cards, and levels.
  • When your game is ready to share, tell us! The LEAF community will be your first testers.
  • Pygame is what we’ll teach, but you can also check out the Pyglet library. On Android phones try PyDroid for a touch interface.
  • Write code anywhere! With a free replit.com account you can code right in your browser and share with teammates.
  • For coding on your computer, try the following integrated development environments (“IDEs”): sublime, notepad++, Thonny, or PyCharm (all free).

Python can take you to amazing places!

You might start with a simple game as in the image above. But that's just the beginning...there is virtually no limit to what you can do! 

Data scientists in business, finance, research, and engineering use Python for all kinds of work. No wonder Python is so popular (https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/). The clear, clean syntax makes Python a great first language, too.

Table Games

  • It’s the golden age of table games! With so many active players out there, your game’s future players are just waiting for your creation.
  • We’ll help you develop your ideas and prototype your game’s first playable copy.
  • Come to Labs & Jams for help with layout, printing, and manufacture of tokens.

Tips on Inventing Your Game

Follow Your Passion

What sort of games do you like playing? Is there a game you wish existed? Talk as a team about all possibilities, then narrow your list down. 

Be flexible and don’t be afraid to change your game’s story world to better match your mechanics. 

Simplify for Progress

If you love 3-dimensional first-person games, try starting with simpler building blocks so you can see yourselves making progress. 

You can use repetition for reinforcement. In table games, think about reusing numbers so players have fewer rules to remember.

Start Small

Try inventing a playable game with your team from start to finish in 30 minutes. Keep it simple! This exercise prioritizes getting to the finish line.

Then make it so! Nobody else in the world can make the game you’ll make.

Participate Form

LEAF - Participate Form

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Contact Us

LEAF Mods

College students serve as Mods in Discord and as project mentors.

  • Cassie Ward
  • Efrain Martinez
  • Maddy Vaca
  • Zack Sutter
  • Zilyn Yeoh

LEAF Leadership

Schools Liaison

Storyteller Branch

Game Maker Branch

Bio Explorer Branch

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