Video games are becoming an optional subject in high schools. Details given by the Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education will introduce the optional subject “Video game development” in the national curriculum for high school education.

High school students will learn to design a video game Photo archive

The new school subject will take place during one school year, having one hour per week, and is accessible to all high school students, regardless of their field or specialization. High school students will participate in the discipline classes in a computer laboratory.

“The course aims to introduce students to all stages of game development, from design to publishing, using specialist language. It allows students to be involved in activities similar to those of professionals in the field, carried out in groups, students assuming specific roles in a game development team and realizing the value of teamwork”reports the Ministry of Education.

The study program will include skills from diverse fields such as storytelling, graphic design, sound engineering and project management, thus integrating notions of mathematics and science to shape the actions of characters in games.

The course syllabus during the school year will be: “Introduction to game theory”, “Game design”, “Digital tools for game development”, “Basic elements of object-oriented and event-oriented programming”, “Graphics and audio sequences for a video game application”, “Video game application”, “Testing, debugging and optimizing the application” and “Distributing and publishing”.

“In Romania, but also in other countries, the game development industry occupies an important role on the labor market, and the school curriculum of the discipline “Video game development” responds to the needs of digital literacy from the perspective of new socio-professional requirements, through a relevant curriculum, aiming at the formation of a set of digital skills that high school graduates can capitalize on in active life. Also, the discipline capitalizes on students’ creativity and curiosity, giving them the chance to gain initial experience for a field that is extremely attractive among young people”the Ministry of Education motivated the implementation of the new discipline.