About We Build This City
Welcome to We Built This City, a co-operative city building board game designed to teach youth
(aged 10-13) the basic principles of digital design, urban planning and new media literacies.
Created as part of the TIFF Nexus Youth New Media Literacies Jam, We Built This City is a modular, scenario-based city construction game that allows kids to build their own buildings, cities and game 'modes' and share them with other kids playing the game around the world.
We Built This City brings kids into the construction of the very game itself and inspires youth to exercise their new media literacies in exciting ways, whilst getting a hands-on experience in maker culture.
Wait - what’s “Maker” Culture?
“The risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things” - Cory Doctorow, Makers
Maker culture is a movement based around do-it-yourself technological experimentation. It is perhaps best manifested in electronics, robotics, metalworking, arts & crafts - pretty much anything that requires creativity, tinkering and innovation in the new media landscape.
Children are coming of age in an increasingly technological, digital environment. With the rise of maker culture, adult hobbyists, hackers and enthusiasts have begun to produce their own technologies outside of large scale mass production through the invention of digital design tools and 3D printing. Over time, these technologies are rapidly becoming cheaper and more available to everyone. Most importantly, it’s now easier than ever for anyone regardless of education or technical skill to create amazing things!
Today’s generation of youth are developing their own literacies in new media technology - they are hacking geniuses, technological entrepreneurs, and electronic inventors in the making.
We believe that in the future, access to these technologies will be available in greater capacities
allowing youth of any age to design, build and create their own objects and technologies.
What’s 3D printing?
3D printing is an “additive” manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by adding successive layers of malleable material. These printers come in all shapes, costs and sizes, and some can even print materials as diverse as metal or edible substances. Some of the most affordable commercial printer on the market today are the Makerbot Thingomatic ($1,225) and the Printrbot ($550). Prices are rapidly dropping, however, and many experts expect personal 3D printing to lead the next major industrial revolution.
How does WBTC address the New Media Literacies?
Sounds cool! What now?
Want to know where to start? Follow our four step process: DESIGN a building, BUILD a physical version, PLAY with a selected game board and game mode, then SHARE your ideas and designs in our public forum.
We’ve made it so that WBTC can be approached by casual or hardcore players - if you don’t have time to design anything by yourself, or just want to try it out, we provide examples and templates of every aspect.
