First Round Microgrant Awardees Use Clever Game Mechanics to Support Learning
Back in May, Endless announced a partnership with The Global Game Jam to launch a microgrant program to support new and emerging game designers in leveraging their GGJ creations for the power of education.
In its first round, the grant program received 21 submissions worldwide from applicants who have participated in a Global Game Jam event in the past. There was an exciting variety of subject matter in the pitches - science, math, psychology, environmental awareness - and clever usage of game mechanics that support learning. The first round of reviews is now complete and we’re excited to share more about a few of the grantees!
This round’s awardees included:
Strategic Repair Protocol (Melanie A Stegman)
Doppel Diner (Maria Shurupova)
Fiona’s Lab (Anne-Marie Schleiner)
We spoke with two of the recipients to find out more about their winning games.
Doppel Diner
Doppel Diner is a 2D cooking simulator that also teaches about Bipolar II Disorder. Players manage a small 50's-reminiscent diner that rotates around a planet; based on its orbital position, the diner’s environment changes to one of the three challenging gameplay flows, metaphorically corresponding to bipolar states (manic, depressive, and neutral). While proceeding through the storyline of renovating the diner in a year, the players become more aware of Bipolar Disorder and learn about some common misconceptions, triggers, and coping mechanisms.
Maria Shurupova says she was inspired to make the game because “there is not enough coverage of Bipolar Disorder in the media, and to help your close ones understand you better with a simple ‘hey, check out this game that explained it’ is very needed.” The game medium is perfect for this kind of project and, according to Shurupova, is “the future of learning because players do not just see someone presenting the information, but unfold it themselves, which is way more engaging.”
For people who want to get into coding and game design, she recommends just getting started: “When you play a game you don't read long manuals or spend hours preparing yourself: you just enter a new world, make some hypotheses about it, try them out, repeat, and eventually get better. I would stick to this strategy in game development as well. Creating games should feel fun, so little steps like game jams are a great way to try because you will exercise and also meet lots of new people to help on your journey too.”
Fiona’s Lab
Fiona’s Lab was inspired by Dr. Amanda Hodson's laboratory at the University of California Davis. On a visit to the lab, Anne Marie Schleiner learned about how Dr. Hodson collects soil samples and saw how a scientific lab is set up with a microscope station and shelves with soil samples with little creatures like nematodes. She created Fiona’s Lab to replicate the lab research experience and to introduce young players 4-7 years old to a career as a scientist. Players become lab assistants for feline scientist Dr. Meow, and collect and sort soil samples, identify small insects under a microscope, and color chemistry experiments.
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Schleiner says she was interested in making the game because she saw that her son and his friends played games on their tablets and felt the space could benefit from a STEM-themed game.
For people who are interested in starting coding or game design, Scheleiner believes “most people (including kids) can learn basic coding; it’s fun!” She recommends looking into various resources, like Youtube videos or coding classes, to help build the skills to be able to make games.
Interested in submitting your learning game for the next round of the microgrant program? Check out the application form here.