The Boy Scouts of America have introduced a merit badge for game design.
The organization acknowledges the valuable social skills that can be learned by playing
games with others -- skills such as courtesy and sharing.
It also realizes that playing games can hone skills like logic and mathematics.
An official statement reads, quote: “Games motivate both young and old to find creative
solutions, practice new skills, and keep their brains active.”
To earn this merit badge, a Scout must analyze different types of games, describe their gameplay,
and explain why it has value.
An understanding of the significance of intellectual property will also be required.
Volunteers from the video game industry apparently contributed to the badge’s requirements
over a two-year period.
Ultimately, a Scout will have to design his own game and keep a design notebook.
In the notebook, he will describe the concepts of his game, iterate on the design, and solicit
feedback on the project.
Once the concept is approved, the Scout can even build a prototype of the game.
The project can be any type of game: a few examples include card game, board game, or
smartphone app.
If they’d had this badge when I was a kid maybe I would have been a boy scout.
Instead of learning to tie knots, I was playing video games.
The Boy Scouts will introduce this new title at SXSW this weekend.
For more video game news, stay tuned to IGN.