HS+DT+S2-Aman

=**Design Folder** - Aman Kumar=

Unit Question:
Kids learn by playing. How can digital games be used to support and promote learning in the AIS/D Elementary?

Unit Question: Interpreted
Almost everybody grew up playing games and it's the easiest and a most fun way for the children to learn. As children easily get addicted to digital games, how can we make an interactive game which can also be used for teaching in schools or at home? However, these games don't have to be directly connected to school studies. They can be a little more directed to general knowledge, common sense or rules. These games should also be for the environment of AIS/D Elementary. So now I have to think creatively to produce a fun, glitch-free, successful game.
 * Mind map****:**

Guiding Questions:

 * Who is this for?
 * What design platform can I use?
 * How could I keep the product interesting and useful at the same time?
 * How long should the game be?
 * What kind of 'game play' should the product have?
 * What media should I use?
 * What topics are appropriate for my age-group?
 * What other games exist?
 * What other games are already in use?
 * How can I mix two different game mechanics in scratch?

=Investigation:=

Investigation Plan:
1. User Survey: I will create a survey to ask questions to the kids so that I can get first hand opinions and perspectives from the user. I will create a survey using 'survey monkey' and then email it to all of students and/or the teachers in the grade of my users. My survey will ask the kids about their opinion in the type of game they want and the topics they are struggling with.

2. Meeting the teacher(s) personally I will go meet the teachers and talk to them about the topics they think the kinds are struggling with or the topics visual aid might be needed. This is because teachers will know which types of games are fun and educational. The teachers will be the ones who will encourage the kids to play the game.

3. Existing products: I will compile a list of existing games which the teachers and students use for school learning. I will try to find the platform which was used to make the game. I will try these games and try to find the advantages in the game and the improvements which could be made. Researching existing games is very helpful because this will help me think of the necessities and variables for my game.

**Users:**
7-9 year old children in 3rd grade. Very young. New to fractions.

Scratch Resources:

 * http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Support/Help_Screens || This is the official website of scratch and its helping tools. ||
 * [] & [] || These websites are really good for getting sprites from previous games. ||
 * [] || This website is the official wiki for scratch. I have used this website before to learn different scripts. ||

For Students:
1) Which subject are you most struggling with? 2) Which topic do you struggle with? 3) Does that subject have any games? 4) If yes, are they helpful? 5) Which types of games do you like? Mouse, keyboards, arcade etc. 6) Do you have any favourite educational games? 7) Do you want a game which is nothing like the educational games you have played?

For Teachers:
1) Which games are currently in use for your subject? 2) Which topics do you think your students need most help with? 3) Do you want to have a game which is visually appealing?

Scratch Project Evaluation
Scratch is a very small and simple program games, simulations, shows etc. It is good as it is very easy to use. It is visually interactive and user friendly. It has simple coding like: movement, sensing, and changing looks. To make things even simpler, there are operators and variables. However this simple software also has limitations. For example, it is only designed to work on 2D environments. One of the major limitations I found were that you can’t overload the software with too many complicated scripts. Also, Scratch can’t handle too many sprites. It is hard for the software to control everything correctly at the same time, which is why there are numerous glitches. I have previously used this software before so I have quite a lot of experience with its capabilities and limitations. This year I used more online research for help with certain codes compared to previous years when I played around trying to make complicated scripts. I think the official scratch website and YouTube are excellent resources. They show you how to make scripts for certain things step-by-step. The easiest way to learn to use scratch is to try and make a game or a simulation. First you try to figure it out yourself, but if you need help you can always ask/discuss with a friend or use online resources. I have personally used it and it works perfectly. Sometimes when you are trying to make a game or simulation, you encounter the overload glitch. This is extremely hard to jump over. Sometimes, the only way out is to quit because it is just not possible on Scratch. But try not to lose hope and try and make something simple and amusing.

Investigation Survey Answers Summary
When I analysed the answers from the students, I found that a lot of the students have problems with Maths. The class has recently started a new topic: Fractions. As this is very new for them, they are a little uncomfortable understanding this new strange subject. There aren't any games on which they can practice. So my project will be to make a game which is highly appealing, interactive, has something to do with the real world and is just fun to play.

=Plan:=

Design Brief:
Children in 3rd grade are learning about equivalent fractions and how to simplify them. It is important for the kids to quickly understand how to simplify fractions without the use of paper. I will design an interactive and enjoyable game, using the game engine, Scratch, 3rd graders to learn about and solve equivalent fractions quickly.

Design Specification:
My game needs to:
 * be Interactive
 * be Enjoyable
 * have Colour
 * be Fast
 * have a Menu Screen
 * be Knowledgeable (it needs to teach something)
 * be long enough for kids to play for a long period of time.
 * be made using the game engine Scratch.
 * be easy at first and then gradually increase difficulty.
 * reflect on the answers of the survey.
 * be easy to make.
 * be as glitch-free as possible.
 * Test:**
 * I will test the game for glitches by making my DT colleagues play the game and suggest script improvements.
 * To make sure, the game is easy enough for 3rd graders, I will make my 8-year old brother play the game.

**3 Designs:**
My first design will be about solving and finding equivalent. It will be an action-based game where you have to move across a level to find the correct equivalent fraction and you need to kill the unequal fractions. This game will make use of gravity and other simple physics. This game is somehow similar to Mario. This design is good because this is a type of action arcade game which is quite common amongst youngsters. This game is very easy and has fast-paced motion. Screenshot of this design:
 * Design 1:**

My second design will be a car/racer game in which the player will have to steer the car left of right to escape the waves of other cars and inequivalent fractions. You have to continue on the path to find the correct one. Cars are extremely popular in a child's world. And this game is very quick-paced do the player won't get bored. Screenshot of the design:
 * Design 2:**

My third design is a little more screen based with an evil teacher who has captured the spirit of recess and has now turned all students into slow boring book works. This game is like going through different rooms with different types of questions. When you complete a room, the challenger/ questioner gives you a clue on where this evil teacher may be and how to destroy it. This game is more focused on the storyline than the game mechanics becase storyline is also important. This keeps the child engaged. One of the questioners:
 * Design 3:**

For my final design, I am choosing Design #2, the one with the car. This is because the game concept of this game is quite quick-paced. It forces the user to think fast and to move fast. This is what will make the game enjoyable and also the kids will be able to find equivalent fractions fast. Over the other designs, this design had more action and movement. I can also set obstacles like road barriers and cones to make the game more interesting. This game has more movement and dodging involved, which appeals to the audience. The other games, in comparison are a lot slower and more story-based.
 * The Final Design**

Production Plan:

 * 1) Find a car sprite.
 * 2) Make 3 stage costumes that, when repeated, give the illusion of a road on which you are driving a car.
 * 3) Work on the movement of the Car sprite so that the arrow keys control the left,right, forward (up), and backward (down) motions of the car.
 * 4) The Car should not be able to move right or left of the end of the road. It should also not be able to go to much in front of the road.
 * 5) Make a Question Board sprite.
 * 6) Make a few different costumes of the Question Board so that there are many different questions.
 * 7) Make 4 different answer sprites.
 * 8) All of these answer sprites should have an equal number of answers as the questions. Always only one of the answer sprites will have the correct answer.
 * 9) Set up the movement of the answer sprites so that they glide from the top of the road to the bottom, with a different slight delay.
 * 10) Set up a variable called 'Question' that controls the question number and the costumes of the Question Board and the answers.
 * 11) Create another variable called 'Car Health' that descends from 100 as the Car hits the incorrect answers.
 * 12) Make an intro and Menu screen that starts when you press the green flag. The Menu screen should let you choose between Easy, Medium and Hard.
 * 13) Set up a cut scene for when you lose all Health and also when you finish all the questions.
 * 14) To add something interesting, add a fallen tire that, like the incorrect answers, hurt the Car when hit.

Evaluation of Plan:
This plan is accurate enough for anybody to know what to do to make my game, but it is relatively vague to an instruction booklet for the person to know how the game mechanics work. This plan gives the possible outcomes of the game. It leaves the new creator to use their imagination to figure out the actual scripts. It is possible for the game to have more questions. Some steps can be repeated or modified to make the game longer and/or more graphic.

=Create:= This game was not a very big challenge to make as I knew most of the limits and restraints of Scratch. This is why I intelligently designed a simple yet effective game which will not glitch-up and will be easy to make. In the first numerous classes, I worked on the key game mechanics. I constructed three background costumes that will look like a 'moving road'. Then I got the Car sprite, made it respond to the arrow keys and made sure it couldn't move out of the road or too close to the horizon. This took quite some time but it was worth it as I relieved all glitches from the movement. Next, I made and programmed the Question Board and answers. This took the longest time as it was very tedious work. I had to make increasingly difficult questions and also incorrect answers that weren't too obvious. Then I stumbled onto a limitation on scratch that I could not overcome. I had programmed my answers to react when an incorrect answer was hit. Instead of playing the question all over again, the answers continued on and decreased the health. I tried broadcasting all the questions, but then the older 'broadcasts' continued and it went all chaotic. This is when I was inspired ('bingo moment'). I programmed the answers to 'hide' when they were touched by the Car. Right after it 'hid', it would set the Question variable to the next one. This solved all of my problems. I was able to remove the glitch and the other answers kept arriving so it dint feel like the game just stopped and then started all over again with a new question. After I completed this, I had time to work on the smaller tedious things a game always has (such as a menu screen, an end). First I made my intro and Menu Screen. I couldn't come up with a title for the game, however I was suggested by Mr.Muller to name my game "Math Crash". I really liked that title and adopted it. After I had a smooth, simple yet attractive intro and menu screen, I worked on the end of the game. When the 9th (last) question was answered correctly, I made a 'You Win' screen. I also made a 'Crash' screen when the health reached 0. To add to the graphics in the game, I made these screen fade into the screen. This made the game look pretty cool. After I completed all of this, I had technically finished my project, however I had to run tests and make some final touches to remove all faults and glitches.

=Evaluate:=

Product Evaluation:
My product is very good. It does not have any glitches (other than that you have to press the green flag two times). It passes all the tests I had prepared. My brother tested it and quite liked it even though it was starting to get quite difficult in the Hard levels. The game overall looked pretty good. It wasn't a flat static screen. It was working quite well at challenging kids to simplify fractions and dodge incorrect answers at the same time. The game is very easy to play. The movement works well and the questions are well made. The instructions are quite self-explanatory. The game fits most points on the design specifications. I got mostly positive feedback from my 8-year old brother. He said that this was the only game on Scratch that actually worked. The difficulty level reflected accurately to his intellect. He really liked the intro. He also loved the crashing animation. He was a little disappointed that the player/user could not change the colour of the car. However, for the future, this is not a problem that cannot be overcome.

Process Evaluation:
Over the course of this project, I have honed my skills with Scratch. I look at problems differently and try new ways to solve them. When I previously attempted to make games on Scratch, I would not be able to think of an idea. When I did, I found out it was too difficult to make on Scratch so I gave up. Now I can think creative and unique to make an easy game that will work and wont be too hard to make. To improve my game, I would have a more evident storyline. I would allow the player to choose the colour of the car. I would change the setting a little after a few questions so it didn't feel you were on an endless road with fractions. It was the most surprising to see that my game had almost no glitches. It worked perfectly. I figured that the simplest scripts are the most effective if arranged or made properly. Less is more! I worked quite a bit on all of the stages of the design cycle, especially the create as it was the most time-consuming and directly significant. I believe I could have investigated more existing game for inspiration. I should have particularly worked on my Planning stage however it was difficult because I had not made my game then. Overall, this journey has been fun and successful. I'm coming to Design Technology next year as well