Scotland Adds Video Game Design to National School Curriculum
Scotland Adds Video Game Design to National School Curriculum
April 15, 2008
In a surprising mainstream affirmation of the video game medium, Scotland's educational minister announced yesterday that game design will be added to the national school curriculum.As reported by Digital Spy, Maureen Watt (left) said:
There is huge confidence that Scotland will continue to play an important part in the future of video games and interactive entertainment and we are focusing on establishing firm foundations for lifelong learning and, for some, specialised study and careers.
A key aim of Curriculum for Excellence is to produce informed, skilled, adaptable and enterprising citizens of the future. The pace of change in the world means that we should be equipping young people with the skills to embrace and use all the tools of modern life.
Scotland's video game industry currently employs 500 people and generates £20 million per year. Scotland's best known video game firm, of course, is Grand Theft Auto series developer Rockstar North.
Via: Tech Digest
UPDATE: Bruce on Games has a bit more on this topic.
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Posted 03/21/10 at 06:23pm
Andrew Eisen: No, I think I'll stay safe and warm in my own little world where Provolone is king and that... other cheese... doesn't exist.
Andrew Eisen: No, I think I'll stay safe and warm in my own little world where Provolone is king and that... other cheese... doesn't exist.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:22pm
JDKJ: I wish the Speaker would ask me for what purpose does the member rise.
JDKJ: I wish the Speaker would ask me for what purpose does the member rise.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:18pm
JDKJ: Provolone?! Please! Try aged Blue Stilton. Also known as Zippy Ass-Crack Cheese.
JDKJ: Provolone?! Please! Try aged Blue Stilton. Also known as Zippy Ass-Crack Cheese.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:13pm
Andrew Eisen: Nothing beats Provolone.
Andrew Eisen: Nothing beats Provolone.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:11pm
JDKJ: Betcha my cheese beats your cheese.
JDKJ: Betcha my cheese beats your cheese.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:09pm
Andrew Eisen: I don't know, I can count pretty high with my graphing calculator. It's a TI-86!
Andrew Eisen: I don't know, I can count pretty high with my graphing calculator. It's a TI-86!
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:07pm
JDKJ: There'll be more dead babies than you can count if the socialists succeed in passing that God-damned Obamacare!!
JDKJ: There'll be more dead babies than you can count if the socialists succeed in passing that God-damned Obamacare!!
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:04pm
Andrew Eisen: Hmm, top 10 child deaths in film. What a great blog post that would make! If I had a blog. And if that hadn't been done a million times before.
Andrew Eisen: Hmm, top 10 child deaths in film. What a great blog post that would make! If I had a blog. And if that hadn't been done a million times before.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:03pm
JDKJ: Whoa! It's some rotten blue cheese, too.
JDKJ: Whoa! It's some rotten blue cheese, too.
Posted 03/21/10 at 06:00pm
JDKJ: *sighs and smiles* I just cut some cheese.
JDKJ: *sighs and smiles* I just cut some cheese.
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:58pm
Andrew Eisen: Well, just so there's no confusion: implied deaths won't get you to the top of my favorite child-deaths list.
Andrew Eisen: Well, just so there's no confusion: implied deaths won't get you to the top of my favorite child-deaths list.
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:58pm
JDKJ: Most authorities hold that "cut the mustard" mutates and derives from "cut the muster."
JDKJ: Most authorities hold that "cut the mustard" mutates and derives from "cut the muster."
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:56pm
Andrew Eisen: Checked the dictionary. I guess you could cut one definition of muster.
Andrew Eisen: Checked the dictionary. I guess you could cut one definition of muster.
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:56pm
JDKJ: Don't take my word for it. Look it up yourself.
JDKJ: Don't take my word for it. Look it up yourself.
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:55pm
Andrew Eisen: Cut the muster? That wouldn't make a lot of sense. You could pass it sure but cut it?
Andrew Eisen: Cut the muster? That wouldn't make a lot of sense. You could pass it sure but cut it?
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:53pm
JDKJ: As in: "Zippy always cuts the cheese but he never cuts the muster."
JDKJ: As in: "Zippy always cuts the cheese but he never cuts the muster."
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:51pm
JDKJ: And I believe the expression is more properly "cut the muster," not "mustard." Not to be confused with "cut the cheese."
JDKJ: And I believe the expression is more properly "cut the muster," not "mustard." Not to be confused with "cut the cheese."
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:48pm
JDKJ: I kinda like the way it's left to the imagination. Like the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho.
JDKJ: I kinda like the way it's left to the imagination. Like the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho.
Posted 03/21/10 at 05:46pm
Andrew Eisen: A flying shoe doesn't quite cut the mustard. If it was shot like a similar scene in Bride of Chucky, Gage's death would rank a lot higher.
Andrew Eisen: A flying shoe doesn't quite cut the mustard. If it was shot like a similar scene in Bride of Chucky, Gage's death would rank a lot higher.
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Comments
*is part scottish*
I mean no offense here - I just think a Dynasty-Warriors style title with William Wallace on the cover would kick serious ass.
As Demoman said:
"Now it's OUR flippin point!"
Moral of the story - Westminster run by wankers. Film at 10.
@ Twin-skies
There was a braveheart RTS game released for the PC years ago that was designed by red lemon studios in Glasgow, though I'm not sure if that studio still exists.
Too bad in the states certain someones would fight it tooth and nail.
You'd think we could - alsmost every Labour Politician we have is Scottish.
I know how you feel, being 35 means that I never got any real IT opportunities at school, computers were for scientists in the early 80's. That's why I'm doing my BSc in Computing as a mature student :(
Anyhoo well done to Scottish MPs for seeing sense.
Gift.
Is this really the case? If so, they do it on my school's internet access, but across an entire US state? I thought you guys had a constitution!
Because when I was in my school years, the only thing I was taught was the really BORING programming for business and never the real exchiting Videogame Programming that I really wanted to do.
Then when I took the Advance Diploma of Multimedia in 2006, the only real videogame programming I did was Flash Games, and it was only a pathetic moduel of designing a concept of a game and really little programming/actionscript to make this basic space shooting game.
I had to use my own creative mind in the way I wanted to make my BoaKhan game that was more like a Maze game, a bit closer to what I wanted, but I was never taught how to make a Platform game or even a simple RPG battle game that I wanted because the teachers did not know how to help me.
So yeah, the first few years will be hard for this games course, but hope they have got teachers who KNOW how to make videogames instead of the useless guys that I had teaching me.
No the Scottish National Party (SNP) form the current (minority) government in Holyrood.
Gift.
Yes, I'm a nationalist supporter (sinn fien, specifically). No I don't support violence. The modern IRAs are a disgrace.
"...and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine."
"Getting these islands back" indeed... I've never heard such rubbish. As if they belonged to you, personally in the first place! You're a twat and a bigot, plain and simple.
You my good sir have just won.