Design Problem

Creating an Educational Game about the Environment:

Educational games are designed to teach topics, lessons, and skills, targeting students, teachers, and other learners. These games reinforce knowledge, develop soft skills, and encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and emotional growth. While they are meant to be enjoyable, they integrate educational objectives to enhance the learning experience.

Gamification adds educational value to games not originally intended for learning by fostering motivation through rewards, achievements, and engaging experiences. Understanding player preferences helps shape game genres, difficulty levels, and content for greater engagement.

Examples include Minecraft (creativity, problem-solving, resource management), Roblox (coding, game design inspiration), Duolingo (language learning), and Kahoot (interactive quizzes and collaboration). These games enhance motivation, information retention, and focus.

This project aimed to address the challenge of short attention spans in children by applying gamification to reconnect them with the world.

Design Process

Research
The project started with a vision to create an educational game about environmental awareness for elementary students. Among the more beginner-friendly tools, I researched Unity Playground and found my inspiration online through resources and tutorials. The main goal was to create an engaging experience where, through gameplay, players learn about the impact of renewable and non-renewable resources. I also researched coding methods that combined block-based and traditional coding for simplicity and flexibility.

Idea
The core idea was a 2D platformer that scrolled upwards; renewable resources collected by the player would give them buffs and points, while negative items that debuffed their score and obstructed progress were to be avoided. The learning would be passive yet effective, encouraging players to draw a parallel between their actions within the game and the consequences these have in reality. The target group was to be elementary school students, with an emphasis on problem-solving and critical thinking. Early on, I identified some of the challenges associated with technical limitations and scoped the project to ensure it was manageable.

Develop
I implemented core mechanics such as fluid player movement, dynamic platforms, and collectible items in development. Challenges in coding included code not saving or executing correctly; some features had to be scaled back. I mitigated these issues by seeking guidance from peers and supervisors and troubleshooting collaboratively. The gameplay evolved to include progressively challenging factory stages with random platform motion to enhance problem-solving. Resources collected provided buffs or debuffs to influence player strategy. Notes and annotations in the code, drawn from online tutorials, helped streamline updates and debugging.

Final Design
The final game features fluid movement, dynamic environments, and an escalating difficulty curve. Players progress through levels of factories while learning to gather renewable resources for rewards versus managing obstacles presented by harmful items. Subtle educational tie-ins teach players the environmental impacts of their actions, like the importance of recycling. If expanded, I would incorporate my earlier project’s custom sprites and backgrounds to enhance the visual experience. Despite the technical difficulties, the project delivered an interactive, educative platformer that fosters environmental stewardship in young players.

Link to Process Journal and Final Reflection Video

https://sites.google.com/isk.ac.ke/kors-stem-pathways/home