Due Date: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2008\\

You will submit your assignment at the beginning of class on the due date. Be prepared to demo it to the rest of the class. Be ready to invite/receive feedback from others. Be open to making substantial changes to what you have. The more useful feedback you get now, the better your final product will be.

Your grade will be based on how well you followed the above instructions, and the depth/quality of your work.

Due Time: 1:40pm

Due Date: Tuesday, Sep. 30, 2008\\

Assigned Date: Thursday, Sep. 11, 2008
Due Date: Thursday, Sep. 25
Due Time: 9:25am

Last modified on October 01, 2008, at 02:20 PM (see updates)

Purpose

This assignment focuses on:

• developing computer games using MIT's Scratch;
• using effective skills and strategies for working collaboratively;
• paper prototyping and user interface design;
• developing simple algorithms; and
• using appropriate critical thinking skills and problem-solving techniques.

This is a group assignment. You may discuss the assignment only with your group or the instructor.

Assignment

Develop a computer game using MIT's Scratch.

To prepare, go over Getting Started (PDF), and Reference Guide (PDF). It is a good idea to print these out and bring them to class.

Phase 1

Submit a typed piece of paper with your design of a computer game for 10-year old kids. Include the following:

• Your Names
• Title of game
• Genre
• Concept - a sentence or two describing the game.
• Player(s) - how many, human(s), computer players?
• Objects - describe the objects (how many, what they do, etc.) This will be further refined later on.
• Goals - a couple of sentences describing the player goals as they play the game.

Phase 2

You should be ready to present to others what you have so far.

The best way to do this is to prepare a paper prototype to bring to class. It can be as low-fidelity (i.e., a quick drawing of the user interface on paper(s)) or high-fidelity (i.e., actual screen snapshots) or anywhere in between.

We will do a paper prototyping activity to get some feedback about your design from others. During the activity, be VERY open to suggestions (as per the Nielsen/Norman DVD we watched in class).

Phase 3

Implement the game design you presented in class using Scratch. Remeber, 20 hours of coding can save you 2 hours of design... So, first refine your design on paper (do storyboards, play the game using different pieces of paper, etc.) - you will not regret it.

Submission

You will submit your assignment at the beginning of class on the due date. Bring your project on a memory stick (USB drive). Be prepared to demo it to the rest of the class.

To receive full credit, you must include your names, date, class, and information on how to use your program in the Scratch Project Info window:

Grading

Your grade will be based on how well you followed the above instructions, and the depth/quality of your work. Also, each team member will get to evaluate their own contribution and that of others within the group.