This educational card game is designed to impart new words to children in an enjoyable manner. The game comprises a deck of cards that can be arranged in a particular sequence. The game's facilitator, typically the teacher, formulates questions that correspond to each card. When a child answers a question correctly, they can progress to the next card. What's particularly appealing about this game is that it allows children to craft their own narrative and pathway, all while expanding their vocabulary.
During the creation of this educational card game, my main focus was on the game's design. It was a tight two-week project, and most of the groups around me in school were leaning towards digital game development. However, I saw potential in good old-fashioned real-life games, so I teamed up with Simon Duckham, a fellow design student, to bring this educational card game to life. I couldn't help but notice that many learning experiences for kids tend to be a bit, well, boring. They often lack that essential ingredient of joy and creative freedom. So, I decided to shake things up and design a new, fun game, as described earlier. I also rolled up my sleeves and dived into the world of paper prototype testing, and I was the one handling the presentations. To my surprise and delight, everything fell into place perfectly. We even emerged as the victors in the "Dragons den" competition, which had been the ultimate challenge for all the groups.
During this project, I had the opportunity to learn about various facets, such as teamwork, educational and serious games, paper prototyping, and presentation skills. These skills played a crucial role in my subsequent endeavors. The project took an unexpected turn when two of our six team members had to leave, leaving me with a significant workload. Designing an educational card game presented a challenge. I explored existing card games and identified a potential gap in the market, leading me to create a story-based educational card game. Paper prototyping revealed valuable insights, making it easier to detect and resolve issues early on. It also simplified the testing process, as it was understandable to almost anyone. Lastly, I gained presentation experience when our project won the "dragons den" competition, requiring me to present in front of a large audience. This experience allowed me to enhance my presentation skills in a real-world setting.
