Background
Swift Playground, a popular coding educational game created by Apple Inc., has been on the frontier of transforming coding education for kids. PonyCody, a Santa Clara based EdTech company which supplies interactive educational software programs to local K-12 summer camps and schools, hired us to create their own version of a 3D RPG coding game for early coding education.
Their local school and summer camp testings have shown tremendous positivity feedback. The project was once the benchmark of how we help create custom EdTech Gamification Solution for organizations primarily specializes in early STEM education.
Core Challenges
To create an educational game for coding education for kids, there are several main challenges to deal with:
Balancing Education with Engagement
The primary challenge was to strike the right balance between educational content and an engaging gaming experience.
The game needed to be fun enough to keep the children interested,
but also sufficiently educational to teach fundamental coding concepts effectively.
Age-Appropriate Design
Designing for a young audience meant that the game interface had to be intuitive and visually appealing for kids.
Simplifying complex coding concepts in a way that is understandable for children without overwhelming them was crucial.
Interactive Learning Experience The game needed to be highly interactive, allowing kids to apply coding concepts in real-time and see the immediate impact of their coding decisions in the game environment. This interactive element was vital for reinforcing learning and maintaining engagement.
Scaffolding Complexity Coding contains intricacies that can overwhelm new learners. The game needs to carefully break down coding into digestible nuggets that build in difficulty, teaching the fundamentals before advancing. Providing the right scaffolds for understanding is key.
Progress Tracking and Adaptability Implementing a system that tracks the progress of each child was essential. The game should adapt to the individual learning pace and style of each student, offering challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult.
Integration with Client's Existing Educational Frameworks and Curriculum Ensuring the game aligns with existing educational frameworks and coding curriculums was key. This alignment was important for the game to be effectively used in educational settings like schools and summer camps.
Appealing Theme/Storyline Wrap the coding challenges around a narrative adventure that grabs attention, like saving a princess in a castle or delivering packages as a robot. Linking coding goals to a fun storyline provides motivation.
As a leading custom EdTech Gamification Solution Provider in today's market, our goal is not only to create beautiful EdTech software solutions, but EdTech solutions that integrates in clients' education services, and tools that help educators educate better and the educated engage better.
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Date
January 20, 2020
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Client Name
PonyCody
Our Solution
To overcome these challenges, Henesys Studio employed a user-centered design approach, focusing on creating an immersive 3D RPG environment that naturally integrates coding challenges into its gameplay. The game’s storyline was crafted to be captivating for kids, with characters and scenarios that are relatable and engaging.
The educational content was interwoven with the game narrative, introducing coding concepts gradually and in a context that makes sense within the game's world. Mini-challenges and puzzles were designed to reinforce coding concepts, with increasing complexity aligned with the child's learning progression.
The game also featured a robust backend system for educators to track students' progress, identify areas where they might be struggling, and provide additional support as needed. This feature made the game a valuable tool for educators to monitor learning outcomes and tailor their teaching approaches accordingly. Each student registers their own account and the performance data is recorded individually for tailored analysis by their teachers.
The success of PonyCody’s 3D RPG coding game in local schools and summer camps is a testament to Henesys Studio’s expertise in creating custom EdTech Gamification Solutions that are not only engaging and educational but also tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients and their audiences.
Time for Your Story
I'm sure you must be interested in a similar custom EdTech Gamification Solution such as this beautifully designed gamified educational curriculum, don't hesitate, send us a message on this website, leave your organization info and contact information, let us help create your success story with your own EdTech solution!