
CSDT:BeadLoom Game Acey Boyce UNC Charlotte
We Love Virtual Bead Loom • Our most successful CSDT • Extremely effective at teaching Cartesian Coordinates and Geometry • Free play results in very creative products
Problem • Students tend to use “easiest” tools available in a free play environment • Very rarely utilize advanced tools to create patterns • Avoids learning iteration
Questions • How can we “force” students to use advanced tools and think in terms of optimization? • How can we do that AND still allow the kids to have fun?
Solution • Convert the VBL into a puzzle game!
The Game • Given a goal image try to create that image in the fewest moves possible • Each time a draw button is clicked the move count goes up by 1
The Game • Ideal solutions require advanced usage of iterative tools and painters algorithm (Layering) • Players are awarded medals based on performance and high scores are maintained
What I Have Done • Created over 30 puzzles and found ideal solution to each
What I Have Done • Puzzles range from traditional to modern
What I Have Done • Created a system to display puzzles and check student work against goal • Implemented the system for local score keeping, puzzle unlocking, and medal earning • Developed tutorial puzzles to introduce players to each tool
Trial By Fire • Used game at 2 Summer Camps • Camp 1: 20 Middle Schoolers • Camp 2: 18 High Schoolers • Each group played game for about 30 minutes a day for 4 days in a competitive setting
Results • Kids had fun! • Fought Tooth and Nail to win each contest • Three High Schoolers even asked for a copy of the game to play with at home
Results • Middle Schoolers (Aided in finding many bugs): • Average Rating: 3.74 out of 5 • High Schoolers (90% of bugs removed): • Average Fun Rating: 4.27 out of 5 • Average Educational Rating: 4.27 • Average Overall Rating: 4.33
What they learned • Sadly the Pre/Post Test for middle school camp did not focus on game • Students did however seem to have a deeper understanding of painters algorithm and iteration
What they learned • Had to tell students not to use iteration for some puzzles • Complexity of Free Play designs went up as puzzle difficulty increased • According to game logs students made fewer errors as week progressed
What they learned • High School Pre/Post Test divided into 3 sections: • Cartesian Coordinates • Iteration • Painter’s Algorithm
What they learned • Iteration Pre Test Average: • 75.3% • Iteration Post Test Average: • 84.0% (8.7% Increase) • Painters Pre Test Average: • 33.3% • Painters Post Test Average: • 52.8% (18.5% Increase)
Painters Note* • I believe in future testing this will be even higher increase • The Pre Test question did not print correctly
Future Work • Addition of a Timer • Addition of a multiplayer high score table • Creation and implementations of more puzzles
Future Research • What makes a game? • What makes a game fun? • Use three versions of game • Bare Bones: Just Scoring • Competitive: High Score Table • Advanced: Customizable User Interactions
In Closing • Thank you for creating CSDTs and providing me the inspiration for this game • It has lead to me accomplishing a major goal in life: Kids enjoying and asking to play a game I created