1. What:
What is your project?
My project is called Math Resuce. Dr. Pi is an evil madman who placed a bomb at a local party school to rid the world of ignorance. The player must find the bomb, wind his way through the traps, and diffuse it correctly.
How does it work?
The player has to find the bomb, go through mazes by finding the correct answer to each maze's equation problem, put the answers in the correct order and type them into the key pad, and pick the color that wasn't seen through the maze. Doing all this will diffuse the bomb and rescue the students.
How did you come up with the idea?
Equations are one of the hardest things students learn in Algebra I. I wanted to create a game that would allow them to practice this topic while having fun, and who doesn't like a good adventure? I also had some inspiration from the game I linked to on my blog. It inspired me to do the maze game.
2. So What:
What was your process for developing the project?
I just created the game with one screen at a time. This way, I could make my story board and fix any bugs as I was going through it. I would make a screen, then play the game and see if it turned out the way I wanted, if not, I fixed it.
What was interesting, surprising, or challenging? Why?
The most challenging part was trying to get my mazes to switch to the next level after the first one was complete. I was stuck on that problem for days. It would go through the first and second maze and then loop back to the first maze. I asked my peers, but no one could help me. So, I finally had to make different sprites for each maze. That fixed the problem.
What did you learn?
I learned not to give up. When something is not working, it's good to step away for a little bit and then get back to it. It gives your brain time to relax and think clearly without being frustrated. The more frustrated you are, the more you are willing to quit.
3. Now What:
What are you the most proud of about your project?
I was able to fix all the bugs and problems I had, and the game is complete with minimal to no flaws. I don't want to say there is no flaws because that's usually when someone finds something wrong. I'm also glad that it works and looks like an actual game that someone would like to play.
What would you change?
I may put more math at the end of the project, rather than just during the mazes. That would make the game a lot longer and probably more complicated. However, I'm very happy with my project.
What do you want to create next? Why?
I would like to create a game that has the player more involved with learning equations. This game would be the game students would play prior to the one I created for this class. However, I personally wouldn't want to create it, becasue that would take a lot of time and patience. I'm not a very patient person.
Principles of Good Games and Good Learning:
Identity--players inherit the identity of a secret agent and bomb difuser
Interaction--when a player makes a decision, then something happens that allows them to proceed, as well as continue with the plot and story line.
Production--I don't have this in my game, but allowing players to co-design would be a good idea--if I knew how to do that in Scratch.
Risk-Taking--players risk making the wrong desicion and blowing the bomb up, which would send them back to the beginning
Customization--if I had more time, I would include different difficulty levels, so that the player can choose which one they'd like to attempt
Agency--players are in charge of what happens in the game. They control the outcome by what decisions and knowledge they have within the game.
Well-Ordered Problems--in my game, there is well-ordered problems; however, if I had more time and better skills in Scratch I could have made the transitions between the problems smoother
Challenge and Consolidation--my game has a set of problems that the players must solve. Then when they get to the bomb they have to figure out how to diffuse it.
Just in Time and On Demand--my game gives information "just in time"; however, if I had more time I could set up my game so that they can revisit the information for the "on demand"
Situated Meanings--I feel I could do better if I learned how to create situated meaning in a video game
Pleasantly Frustrating--my game isn't a walk in the park. There are a series of problems that have to be solved, before a challenge of memory to diffuse the bomb. However, if you get something wrong it doesn't send you clear back to the start menu.
System Thinking--I don't really have anything that could make the player think of the consequences of their actions that affect others. I'm not sure how I woud do that either.
Explore, Think Laterally, Rethink Goals--My maze problems allow students to think laterally and thoroughly before moving on. I could probably make this better with time, because there is no exploration.
Smart Tools and Distributed Knowledge--I believe the knowledge in the game is distributed between the player and virtual character sufficiently. The player doesn't need to know how to actually diffuse a bomb.
Cross-Functional Teams--There is no cross-functional teams, unless you count your virtual secretary; however, I'm not sure how that would work with my game if I included cross-functional teams
Preformance Before Confidence--players are able to learn as they go. I've created the game in a way, such that if a wrong answer is given, it doesn't take you back to the start menu. The player just has to re-do that level.
