dragon high - gender and gamemaker concepts
DESCRIPTION
This game concept design was created by Oliver Bendorf, ginger coons, Julienne Corboz, Anna Foka, and Roopika Risam at HumLab, Umeå, Sweden. Our task was to design a game concept for 8-10 year olds.TRANSCRIPT
A Digital Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Game
Oliver Bendorf, ginger coons, Julienne Corboz, Anna Foka, Roopika Risam
Story
There’s a problem at Dragon High:
Ulysses the Unicorn has transferred to Dragon High. Being a unicorn with a broken horn, Ulysses is having a hard time fitting in.
In this game, children will experience a day at Dragon High, occupying multiple roles as bully, bullied, and bystander.
Playable Characters
Ulysses the Unicorn: New to Dragon High, Ulysses is a target for bullies.
Playable Characters
Deborah the Dragon: Student body president and a noted bully, Deborah does not like anyone who is different.
Playable Characters
Gary the Griffin: The other non-dragon at Dragon High, Gary is content to remain a bystander, even when Ulysses is bullied.
Goal
Playing the game as either Ulysses the bullied unicorn, Deborah the dragon bully, or Gary the bystanding griffin, players must make it through a day at Dragon High without getting suspended.
Suspensions result from: getting locked in a locker and missing class, being a bully, or letting bullying happen.
Players will develop empathy, decision-making, social justice, and socialization skills.
Game Format
Dragon High is a digital Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style game. The digital medium allows students to assume the identity of the bully, bullied, or bystander and to navigate the halls of Dragon High, one perspective at a time.
A later version could provide an online multi-player experience.
Game Play
Point A: The school day starts
Point B: The bell rings and everyone goes home
Players navigate 10 different levels based on scenarios that could happen during a typical school day, such as: stolen lunch money, getting ready for PE class, gossip behind people’s backs, insults and namecalling, and cheating.
Game Play
Each level takes place during one class period of the day. A story or context is presented to the player via animation. The player is then given a set of options to choose how to respond to the scenario. Each choice leads to a consequence, as well as a new choice. The level ends with detention or moving on to the next class. In the course of successfully making it through a day at Dragon High, a character will have experienced a new perspective on bullying and learned to make positive choices.