After a quick introduction, the kids were off making all sorts of interesting mathematical interactions! In one short hour, the class produced:
- A "sheep carnage" level where sheep of various numbers were directed to a fighting arena, where they would battle each other based on factors
- An automated destruction factory where a number orb generator was placed on a conveyer belt that led to a cannon which automatically destroyed a wall of numbers
- A level in which a car was directed in an infinite loop of increasing speed
- One where you start inside a cage made of numbers and have to break free
The kids were so immersed in their creations that they didn't even notice when class ended, and it wasn't until 10 minutes past that I asked them what time it was. They cleverly (but unsuccessfully) tried to convince me my clock was wrong so they could continue playing for another hour! Eventually their parents came and pried them off of their computers.
One young boy asked me as his mother led him away, "Can goats eat other animals? How can I make goats eat other animals?" I told him they were sheep, not goats. His mom just grinned and continued to lead him away as I explained that you could set up the rules for sheep behavior in the editor by placing a sheep down, then selecting "Modify animal rules". He gleefully absorbed this information, presumably to put it to use at home where he would continue working on ways for number sheep to devastate the other members of the Super Math World animal kingdom.
I played the kids' levels and took some screenshots. Here they are!
All in all, a successful game jam indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment