Educators can now teach game design for free with GameMaker

GameMaker removes barriers to entry so anyone can start teaching game design and boosting student engagement for free 

Schools can now teach game design and access high-quality course materials and tutorials for free with GameMaker – the fastest and friendliest cross-platform game development engine. 

“Making games is a great way of helping students to develop important skills like creative thinking, problem solving and planning. However, when it comes to budgets, schools everywhere are feeling the squeeze. But with GameMaker now free to use, regardless of class size, every school can bring game development to all students wishing to pursue video games as a hobby or career,” said Russell Kay, Head of GameMaker.

Almost all children (93% in UK) enjoy playing video games as a way of relaxing and connecting with their friends online. But for many, video games are more than just a pastime, they’re a way of life. When they’re not playing games, many children love watching gaming channels on YouTube, Twitch or Discord, discussing their favorite gamers achievements and often visiting physical gaming events at the weekend. 

Therefore, by teaching game design in schools, teachers can tap into this passion for gaming to really grab students attention, while also helping them to develop and boost core skills needed for learning STEM subjects and more. In fact, 77.3% of teachers who teach game design said it was either “extremely effective” or “very effective” at engaging with students. 

However, with schools under mounting budgetary constraints, introducing game design isn’t always a quick and easy decision.

This is why GameMaker is proud to introduce a free education version, so that every teacher can now quickly roll out game design classes, access lesson plans, student tasks and tutorials, and start boosting student engagement for free. 

From today, schools can access a completely free version of GameMaker – available without the export functionality which is typically only used by students learning game design at postgraduate level. If required, schools can choose to purchase a site license which will allow them to share games to all major platforms. 

GameMaker is the fastest and friendliest cross-platform game engine available, making it easy for students to learn the fundamentals of coding through its intuitive and powerful visual code system GML Visual. Originally designed as a platform for teaching children how to design games, GameMaker has been downloaded by millions of students and indie games creators and has been used to create hugely popular games, such as Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter and Chicory: A Colorful Tale. 

To start teaching game design to your students, visit gamemaker.io/en/education.