Arcade and Platform Games

Start with a game idea

The mind maps on this page offer different ways to plan an arcade or platform game. A useful starting point is Mario style game, which brings together a character, a platform world, obstacles, collectibles and controls. Its branches give school students a way to see how movement and the game world fit into an idea.

Next, look at Arcade Game for a different set of considerations. It includes sounds, transitions, scenes and timing, alongside ideas about interaction and thinking skills. Teachers can use the maps as material for a discussion about the choices behind a game.

Explore movement and challenges

2D Side Platformer Game focuses on inputs and actions, including moving, jumping, crouching and interacting with objects. Compare those branches with the controls in Mario style game to see how each map sets out player actions.

2D Arcade Side-Scroller adds ideas such as traps, collectibles, power-ups and increasing speed. The map about a platformer with a boundary explores a dark zone that moves toward the player and can only be entered briefly. These maps give you different ways to think about challenges within a game.

Use maps with questions

There are no quizzes listed on this page, so the maps are the place to start. After reading one, you could turn its branches into questions about controls, obstacles or player actions. A free account lets you make your own quizzes and mind maps, as well as save quiz scores.

Connect the ideas

Within the wider unit in Computing and ICT, these resources bring game ideas together through characters, environments, mechanics and interfaces. Quest to Redeem His Fatal Mistake, for example, sets out branches for the player character, objective, environment and rules. Choose a map and follow the branches that interest you.