Who uses Computer Game Maker and what
games do they make?
A. Speech and Language Pathologists for these types of games:
Auditory
Discrimination Games -
Match picture to cognates: t/d, p/b, k/g
Match
pictures to similar sounds: s/sh; w/r/
Syntactical/Symantic
Games -
Match prepositions to pictures: i.e.
"The boy is on the table." "The boy is under the table."
B. Elementary Math Teachers design these types of games:
Number word to Numeric symbol matching, ie. One- 1; Twenty - 20
Addition,
Subtraction, Multiplication, Division Facts
C. Social Studies Teachers design these types
of games:
Match vocabulary prompts to definition responses:
i.e,, filibuster,
bicameral, etc.
Match images of historical figures to pictures
Match pictures of inventions
to time period
D. Reading Specialists, Special Ed., ESL Teachers, etc. create these types of
games
Match pictures to vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.
English spoken words and pictures to Spanish spoken word
Earth Science Teachers find these games useful:
Match vocabulary: faults,
fissures, folding, etc.
to appropriate pictures or concepts.
E.
Parents, Homeschoolers create games related to concept
F. And perhaps, the most motivating games are those created by
students themselves! There
is nothing more reinforcing than interacting with
content in a
subject area, deciding on the most important information within thata
content, checking for accuracy, and seeing a fun product
that is created at the end.
Can I install this game on our school computers without a site license?
Yes. After you purchase Comptuer Game Maker, you can make as many games as you wish and
install those games on as many computers as you wish. Since our company's founder is a former teacher of the deaf,
we are fully cognizant of the budgetary constraints of individual school districts and allow you to share our software with
other teachers within your district.
How can you offer this
software to be shared district wide without expensive site licensing?
We
are a small company and there are thousands of school districts. We've found that once a teacher starts using Computer
Game Maker Lite, other teachers are eager to make their own games. Often, within the school district, it's
easier to order several copies rather than make copies or wait until one teacher is finished in order to pass it around.
In addition, there are thousands of school districts throughout the country and the
world. If we only sell one Computer Game Maker - Lite to those
school districts, our company will be successful.
How long will it take me to
create my own computer game?
If you are inputing only written "questions" and "answers" and if you already
are certain of the content you wish to present (8 questions and responses per game you create), you can create a game in less
than a half an hour.
If you want to inport pictures, the pictures will have to
be resized to 80 x 80 pixels in order for them to look great. That can involve a few hours, but once you have the game,
it will be used over and over, year after year, and you'll enjoy the student response again and again.
Where can I get pictures?
For motivating learning, some of the best lessons are created
with pictures of the students. For example, a teacher of the deaf who is designing a lesson on prepositions might
takea digital picture of students, under the table next to the table, behind the table with responses such as "John
is under the table." "Amy is next to the table." "The table behind John, " etc.
We get many of our pictures from our subscription to clipart.com or purchase credits from a great
place, istockphotos.com Those are our favorite.
Can I sell the games I make?
If
you have a game you made and would like us to sell it for you on our website, no problem. We offer a program in which both
Windmill Works and you can profit. Email us for details. If you can sell your games to another company, we request
that you indicate that these were made with Computer Game Maker software
.
What
about web based games?
Computer Game Maker designs programs for installation on
individual or lab computers. A web based game like the one you play on our website, requires JAVA programming.
However, if you send us a game you made, and we feel it would be beneficial to our visitors, we can import it into our JAVA
game on our site with you as the author and students would be able to play it for free.
Can I change the background of the pictures on the "card"
backs?
Computer Game Maker-Like allows for a variety
of backgrounds for the pictures on the backs. Presently we offer the windmill design and the runners and will be adding
more soon.
