On February 12, 2015, the Bronx Library Center will be hosting the Youth Game Design Workshop from 5-8 pm.

The program will give teens the opportunity to learn about the five elements involved in game design. The elements are Goals, Rules, Space, Components, and Mechanics.  Teens will also have the opportunity to design games, meet with a game industry professional and learn about the National Video Game Challenge.

We are very excited to host this program at the Bronx Library Center, as many studies have proven  the positive cognitive and social-emotional impact that video games have on  children, teens and adults as well, especially older adults. Research has shown that when teens play strategic video games and those involving role-playing, their problem solving skills, school grades and creativity improve as well. Playing video games also improves social skills, even though past research has cataloged gaming as bad and a strong factor in causing isolation, more than 70 percent of gamers play with a friend or with millions of people online, examples of these types of games are Farmville and World of Warcraft.

Interested in learning more about the benefits of gaming?

• "Are There Benefits in Playing Video Games?" Psychology Today, 2014
• "Playing an Action Video Game Reduces Gender Differences in Spatial Cognition" Psychological Science, 2007
• "Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits, review finds" American Psychological Association, 2014
• "Study Finds Children Benefit From Playing Video Games" IGN News, 2014
• "9 Ways Video Games Can Actually Be Good For You" Huffington Post, 2013
• "Social And Emotional Benefits Of Video Games: Metacognition and Relationships" KQED MindShift, 2014

The Youth Game Design Workshop will be open to 35 teens. Pre-registration is required. To register, visit the Teen Center at the Bronx Library Center and for more information call 718-579-4245.