Piper Make Game Controller - Introduction to Gaming!
Have your students ever thought about how a game controller works or what's inside? With Piper Make, they’ll not only discover the answer but also build and program a working game controller themselves. Dive into the world of gaming with the Piper Make Game Controller, a hands-on project that brings your gaming dreams to life. Designed to work with the Piper Make Base Station, this controller allows you to build, program, and use it to play games you've coded yourself.
The Game Controller is a fascinating build featuring a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). This board is meticulously designed with a base board and copper traces that ensure connectivity between essential electronic components like LEDs, integrated circuits, and resistors. As you assemble the controller, you'll trace these connections on your own, gaining a deeper understanding of how these elements work together.
But building the controller is just the beginning. Students must also program the Game Controller to make it functional and ready for gameplay. This crucial step teaches coding skills and shows how hardware and software interact to create a fully operational device.
Once built and programmed, the Game Controller is your key to a world of gaming possibilities. It’s used in Piper Make Missions like Lighthouse, Frog Frenzy, and Game Controller. After completing the build, you can take on the challenges of seven mini-games in Pip’s Arcade, including Snake, Retro Racer, Ski Slope, Hyperspace GC, Hextris, Breakout, and Tower Climb.
For those with access to Minecraft Education Edition, the Piper Make Game Controller can be mapped to the keyboard buttons typically used in the game, allowing you to play Minecraft with your custom-built controller. Please note that this mission requires a license for Minecraft or Minecraft Education Edition, which is not included.
Get ready to build, program, play, and explore the intersection of gaming and technology with the Piper Make Game Controller!
Recommended for ages 8+.
