High-Level Project Summary
We've made a role-play game that teaches younger players about the JWST through lively interactions between characters. We understand that although learning about major scientific advancements can be exciting, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate and understand.People who are interested in learning about the JWST may be intimidated by large blocks of scientific jargon. Our game provides simple, easy-to-understand explanations for the players. The inclusion of charming little characters makes learning about the JWST more engaging. Our game will benefit them as it will enable them to easily gain knowledge about the telescope in a fun, interactive, and straightforward way.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
(Press the green flag twice to start the game)
Our project is a role-play game that allows players to learn about the JWST. The game features a storyline following our main character, Star Bob, and his journey learning about the JWST.
Level 1
The story begins when Star Bob and his friend, Supernova, join a lecture about the JWST. The characters interact with the professor and answer his questions. Three quiz questions are given in each level, and players need to answer at least two of those questions correctly to move on to the next level. The player can enter the letter of the answer that they pick. The professor, (a game character), then tells them if their answer is correct or not, and gives an explanation.
Level 2
The characters visit the James Webb Space Telescope and players get to click on each component of the telescope to see its function and how it works. They get to make educated guesses on why they think certain elements of the JWST are the way they are. If they make at least two correct guesses, the player can proceed to the next level.
This role-play game breaks the intimidating barrier of learning how the JWST works. The colourful backgrounds and dynamic characters show players that it is not as complicated as it seems, and that you can educate yourself while having fun.
Development
We used Scratch 3.0 for the coding of the game.
Each character sprite was hand drawn in ibis Paint x to make each of them individual and unique.
The template for slides in demo video are from Slidesgo.
Space Agency Data
Images used in the game:
galaxy cluster SMACA0723 by JWST (NASA website): https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-delivers-deepest-infrared-image-of-universe-yet
galaxy cluster SMACA0723 by Hubble (NBC news): https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/compare-photos-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-hubble-space-telescope-rcna37875
image of JWST (NC State University): https://sciences.ncsu.edu/news/james-webb-space-telescope-qa-with-astrophysicist-bordoloi/
Hackathon Journey
The hackathon gave us confidence in ourselves. Using our little knowledge of coding, we managed to create a game that, although unfinished, we are proud of. It was exciting seeing our game characters come to life on our computer screens.
This experience motivates us to pursue more coding and game development skills using more challenging software such as Unity. Overall, this project was immensely enjoyable and we hope to participate in the Nasa Space Apps Challenge again next year!
References
Tags
#jwst #game #rpg #jamewebbspacetelescope #learningthroughthelookingglass #scratch