7-8 Creating an app or game | Digital Technologies Hub

Home Plan and prepare Scope and Sequence (F-10) 7-8 Creating an app or game

Unit Creating an app or game

Year level: 7-8 Topic: Creating digital solutions Time: 16 hours

Use the context of apps and digital games development to build students’ capabilities and confidence in creating a digital solution that uses a general-purpose (text based/scripting) programming that allows for choices (branching) and repetition (iteration). There is a wide range of interactive online tutorials that students could work through to learn and practise coding for a particular programming language, such as Python and Ruby. Once students have determined the purpose and requirements of the game, they describe how the solution will be created and consider design features appropriate to the audience. After the game has been developed, students evaluate its success.

Topic Overview
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Topic Unit Map
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Unit Overview
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Unit SOLO Taxonomy
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Who’s the game for and what’s its purpose?

Australian Curriculum Alignment

Investigating and defining (ACTDIP027)

What's this about?

It is very important to clearly state the intention of the game, namely what it is required to do (functional requirements) as well as identify if there are any constraints or factors that should influence the nature of the game or how it is developed. An important aspect of this process is developing empathy for the user. What possible constraints (usability) might the user have? Are there any accessibility needs such as having both sound and images to indicate an action (social constraint)? Are there any technical constraints such as a game requiring a specific input device to issue instructions such as a 3D mouse or a Gamepad (technical constraint)? Also user preference is important in this process, for example the users might prefer touch screen over device inputs.

At this level students are required to decompose a problem. For example for an adventure game it could mean identifying for each character their characteristics, actions, settings and sequences. Decomposition is about isolating the key elements and then teasing out features of each. This allows identification of patterns, relationships and anomalies.

Once these aspects are understood, the process then moves on the identification and design of algorithms that represent a complete, logically structured set of instructions that are needed to solve the problem as well as factors contributing to user experience.

Examining existing digital solutions enable students to identify features that may be transferable to new but similar digital solutions.

Look for cross-curricula opportunities when designing an app. For example, make links to History: What would a smartphone contain from someone in ancient times? [contacts, maps, notes, SMS, photos etc]

Learning tasks

Students can begin this process by researching and reviewing a range of existing games or apps:
- For game design: see what makes them fun to play and identify elements that are less engaging.
- For Mobile Apps: Look for common element such as: Login-ins, Welcome page, Navigation, Graphic user interface.
As a result of their investigation students identify features that may be of use in their digital solution. Model ways to record ideas such as sticky notes, a checklist or table to record details of their game or app research.
Set the task of identifying what a digital game or mobile app for a particular audience needs to do (functional requirement). For example:
- Digital game: a word game that rewards the selection of the correct word or a maths game that rewards selection of a particular shape. A more complex requirement is a game that allows multiple users to work with multiple options.
- Mobile app: a school map that shows the location of buildings and rooms with a navigation path.
Using an organisation chart template such as Smart Art or a mindmap students can break the problem down into sub elements for example in game design show the relationship between characters, movements, collisions and scoring.
Students should identify at least one constraint on the solution and investigate how that constraint is handled with existing games or apps.
Use different approaches to organise collaborative groups so students have to work with a diverse range of students with different skills, abilities and backgrounds. Implement strategies to help students work effectively. Support and guide students with the planning and project management.
Note: Students could find three or four existing solutions to a problem, such as recycling games or spelling or maths games. They could select one of these and respond to the above requirements, with adjustments. For example, for a spelling game the question could be:
- Who is the audience for this game? (age group, year level, reading level etc).
- Why does the problem exist (students are spelling common words incorrectly and they don’t know common rules, or they find spelling boring or difficult).
- A solution that allows students to select the correct word in response to the spoken word would help improve spelling.
Use a table template with column headings that match the guided questions. Alternatively, students create a mindmap that shows the questions and answers.
Once the problem is defined the next process is to design a solution.

Supporting Resources

Game design This sequence of lessons integrates game design using scratch and a Makey Makey programming board. (Note this partially meets the programming achievement standard; to fully meet the standard would need to program using general-purpose programming language.)

Swift Playgrounds: Learn to Code 1 & 2 This free teacher guide features a chapter on App Design that shows teachers how to introduce students to designing an iOS app. The chapter includes tips on using iOS features and app prototyping.

Swift Playgrounds: Learn to Code 3 This free teacher guide supports teachers to guide students through creating their own playgrounds in Swift Playgrounds, a free iOS app.

Assessment

Suggested approaches may include

One constraint on the solution.
List of two or three functional requirements of the solution.