BaLANCE

https://youtu.be/DtjN-8wWlp0

https://youtu.be/HA4owIzj-8k

Our project is a mobile videogame named Sunspot Survival. Using the Lua programming language, we were able to construct a video game that would be able to fulfill our mission of educating and informing the untaught populous about the sun’s attributes. In Sunspot Survival, you are put into the eyes of the NASA Parker Solar Probe. The objective of the game is to survive 10 days researching the Sun while in close proximity. During these 10 days, you will have extensive amounts of work to do. Apart from researching and learning about the sun, you will have to navigate through the dangers of the Sun. You will be faced with various challenges like solar flares, which are a common occurrence whilst near the sun, and you need to use your navigational and driving skills to dodge the fatal solar flares. However, this game is not only about having fun, but through pop-up bubbles, the game also educates the player about the Sun in general. For example, when faced with a solar flare, the player is given information about what a solar flare is, how it originates, and other important information about these occurrences. This gives the benefit of having the enjoyment and thrill of playing a video game but also educates the players about the Sun, as well as its attributes and other important information about it. This benefit is likely to appeal to the video game community as a whole, which is 78% of the population under 18. With the increasing attraction to our game, we will aim to further the world’s understanding of the Sun and space weather such as solar storms, radio blackouts, solar radiation storms, and geomagnetic storms. Therefore, with many people playing our game the population that is educated about the Sun will increase and our mission will increase.   

From the NASA website, we acquired images, definitions, and information about solar flares. We also used the pictures from NASA as inspiration and made all of our pictures ourselves with the help of photoshop. We also learned a lot about solar flares and UV rays from the NASA website which we implemented into our game. It also taught us about the function, mission, and goal of the Parker Solar Probe and implemented it into our video game in an effective way. Furthermore, the NASA website gave us an idea of the Probe’s activity and gave us updates on the new information the probe is providing us. We were able to use this data to further our understanding of how the Sun works, which in turn raises recognition for space exploration and research. We were able to utilize all the resources that were readily available to us to their full potential.  

As a group, we would describe this Space Apps experience as an opportunity where we learned and grew our knowledge regarding the Sun. We learned about its various attributes, including solar flares, the Parker Solar Probe, the different types of UV rays, and their effects on modern society. We decided to choose the Creative Data Display with the Parker Solar Probe challenge because we wanted to further our understanding of the sun and astrophysics. Our approach to developing this project was to first brainstorm ideas on how we could solve this problem and then to carefully list out the pros and cons for each of our solutions. In the end, we felt that making a video game would be the most ideal solution as our goal is to educate the future generation. Therefore, our target audience spreads from kids to young adults to effectively meet our goal. As a team, we resolved certain challenges by talking through the obstacles together and doing extensive research to evaluate the best solution that would ensure our success. We would like to thank Mrs. Munro (the 3d Modeling teacher), Sai and Helen (heads of NASA space apps at Reedy High School), and all of our parents because they provided us with resources that enriched our learning experience and enabled our collaboration and achievement.

Do Video Games Make Kids Saints or Psychopaths (and Why Is It So . (2022). Retrieved 2 October 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/video-games-saints-or-psychopaths-082814

Michael, C. (2021). More people in United States play video games than ever before, ESA reports. Retrieved 2 October 2022, from https://dotesports.com/general/news/more-people-in-united-states-play-video-games-than-ever-before-esa-reports#:~:text=What%20is%20this%3F&text=According%20to%20the%20ESA%2C%2067,18%20years%20old%2C%20are%20gamers.&text=What%20is%20this%3F,-Report%20Ad

Solar Storm and Space Weather - Frequently Asked Questions. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/spaceweather/index.html

What is a solar flare?. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/what-is-a-solar-flare

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/radiation-exposure/uv-radiation.html#:~:text=UVB%20rays%20have%20slightly%20more,to%20cause%20most%20skin%20cancers.

Image citations:

Controls. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://soul-knight.fandom.com/wiki/Controls

Magnificent CME Erupts on the Sun - August 31. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/7931831962

Parker Solar Probe - Wikipedia. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe

Pause icon, Brand Pattern, Pause Button, angle, rectangle, black png | PNGWing. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from https://www.pngwing.com/en/free-png-birzd  question mark free vector - Clip Art Library. (2022). Retrieved 1 October 2022, from http://clipart-library.com/clipart/pi58yKoyT.htm

(2022). Retrieved 2 October 2022, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/652459064750874811/

#sun, #astrophysics, #solarflares, #UVrays, #videogame