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Our students began working on their ideal video game controller this week. We've spent the past 3 days looking at systems of the past (Tennis For Two, Fairchild Channel F, Atari 2600, Nintendo NES), modern systems (Wii, XBox, PS3, 3DS) and future examples of interacting with computers and games (Google Glass, Corning, LeapMotion, Stinky, MyoBand)

This week we broke the class into 2 groups. They each chose a name for their company - Happy Zero, Inc. and Video Game Skyfallers. They came up with design drawings and properties that their controllers would have. Today they started building them out of modeling clay. Our goal is to decorate them next week and present to our classmates.

If you'd like to see some additional material and discuss it with your child, here's some content I didn't have time for in class:

Review of the worst controllers of all time. (very subjective!)

Pop Chart Labs - Evolution of Video Game Controllers (Poster)

Ask your kids about some of the vocabulary we've discussed:

• aesthetics


• universal design


• legacy/modern


• prototype


• control stick vs. directional pad


• analog vs. digital


• novelty controllers[gallery type="slideshow" ids="466,467,468,473,472,471,470,469"]