HourofCode™

In this multi-level game, students are challenged to pick up and move directional arrows through a maze to guide Asphodel through to reach her trophy. Students learn algorithmic thinking and problem decomposition by tracing the path Asphodel must follow, and then placing arrows in the appropriate places in sequence to map out her path.

How to play:

• Move the purple cursor with the joystick or the arrow keys on the keyboard
• Press the A button or the space bar on the keyboard to pick up and put down the purple directional arrows
• When you have completed placing all the purple arrows along Asphodel’s path, press the B button or the enter key on the keyboard to make Asphodel move up and follow the arrows

There are 11 levels in the game that progress in difficulty.

Levels 1-3 focus on sequencing and trial and error tactics to navigate Asphodel through progressively more complex mazes.

Levels 4-5 introduce a key object that Asphodel must pick up to unlock a gate blocking her path.

Level 6 more explicitly introduces the concept of Conditional statements. There are gates blocking Asphodel’s path that can only be opened if Asphodel’s hat is a certain color. Luckily, there are paint cans along the way that she can use to change the color of her hat!

Level 7 combines the key and the color gates! Challenge students to think about deconstructing the problem into separate discrete steps to solve:

• Change hat to blue
• Pick up key
• Change hat to red

Level 9 introduces the concept of color gate switches. When Asphodel moves over a Color Switch, either the Red or Pink gates will open. You can think of these color switches as Boolean values and logic where either Red = true and Pink = false, or Red = false and Pink = true.

In this tutorial, students will take an existing game, Collect the Clovers, and express their creativity and artistic talent by making the game their own. Prompt students to think about a story for their game:

• Scene – what is the setting?
• Characters – hero? enemy?
• Object – what is the object to collect?

Students will design and draw the characters and the background for their game. They will also select visual effects and sounds for their game. Students learn that games are a great way to combine code and art, music and storytelling to create a unique digital artifact that others can play.

Following a step-by-step tutorial, students will code their own game. Students will learn computer science concepts such as variables, events, random functions, and objects. In addition, students will learn game development concepts such as sprites, projectiles, position and velocity, and game loop.