By Ronald Gordon

Recently, the Critics Circle had the chance to run our nonprofit Playing with Purpose course over at M.S. 131 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In the computer lab of the school, we gathered two groups of students and taught them how to create a game narrative. 

This Playing with Purpose workshop was special. Instead of the 10 weeks the course usually spans, we had to teach the basics of Game Narrative in only three classes during the course of three weeks. 

M.S. 131 is a diverse school, and a handful of the students we had didn’t fluently speak English. But that didn’t stop them from engaging with the topic of games as a storytelling medium. As things began, the students faced a simple yet challenging game: Florence from Mountains and Annapurna Interactive. With its colorful art style and deeply personal romance plot, Florence hooked almost every student in both groups whenever it came on the screen. 

Immediately after Florence, the students took to the iMacs and got to work creating their own showcases of their ideal games. We allowed them full use of Canva or Google Slides and encouraged them to go as in depth as they could with the time they had. In the end, there were plenty of wonderfully made slideshows that gave a glimpse into these creative, young minds we helped introduce to game narrative. 

The Circle even had a guest appear for the day of the showcase, Jessica Lin, formerly of Councilman Christopher Marte’s office, who came to help judge the works of the students. She too was impressed by the care and creativity put into each of the slideshows, even helping to translate the work of three Chinese students who were passionate about Ultraman. It was a blast and an honor having Ms. Lin tag along.

Of course, there’s always a prize at the end of every Playing with Purpose course, no matter how brief it may be. There were two winners in the end, one from the first period and another from the second, and both brought their best work to the table. The first was a game called Final Package WWIII, by Ivan, where you play as a mailman delivering what could be the most important package during a nuclear war: A peace treaty. There were details of survival style gameplay mechanics and an intense atmosphere that left even founder Harold Goldberg on edge. 

The second winner, Let’s Party by Annabelle, is a classic survival horror in which you try to escape gross creatures named Fugglers. Annabelle not only featured many beautifully grotesque images, but also music and sounds that enhanced the project’s bizarre feeling.

Both Annabelle and Ivan walked away with their own Nintendo Switch consoles for their hard work, and with that the Circle’s time with M.S. 131 came to a close. Yet, we won’t forget those talented students we mentored, nor will we forget their very passionate teacher Otis Kriegel. Not only was Mr. Kriegel attentive and open to what we had to offer. When we weren’t present, he was eagerly pushing his students to engage and aided them in putting their best ideas forward when it came to the course work. Below is a statement from him, regarding his view of the course and his hopes for a full course sometime in the future. 

“You would never think that a 3-day workshop with 8th graders would have such an impact, but Playing with Purpose broke that model! My students loved the project and dove deeply into it. They shared ideas, pushed each other to further develop each other’s concepts and really enjoyed the entire process. I would love to have them back for the 10-week course. I can only imagine how impactful that will be after seeing the positive effect the 3-day had! Thank you Harold and team!”

–Otis Kriegel, educator, M.S. 131

Ronald Gordon is a New York Videogame Critics Circle Member and Mentor. He was the first of our writers – or any intern anywhere – to complete an internship at Rockstar Games.

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