- Key Details -
Playable with any LEGO pieces.
Rules are highly customizable.
Educational potential.
Rules are highly customizable.
Educational potential.
This was a solo project.
- Overview of my tasks -
- Design a set of building prompts that can be followed using any set of random LEGO pieces.
- Iterate using AI tools for solo playtesting.
- Find basic vocabulary that can be taught by just playing the game.
- Host playtest with educators and LEGO enthusiasts.
- Balancing Creative Freedom and Challenge -
This game started as a mod from The Quiet Year that we played using LEGO as a brainstorm exercise.
I realized the potential of a "map-building" game using LEGO for creative input in a storytelling game.
I decided to iterate on this idea and make a version of this game with unique LEGO affordances.
- Play The Way You Want -
One of the affordances of the LEGO brand is that it can be enjoyed by everyone, adults and kids alike. Here are some other ways the game can be played depending on the group.
1. When playing with new players or kids, it's sometimes better to have a person be the facilitator. Instead of everyone having their own cards, the facilitator will draw the group's cards and look and keep track of the prompts.
2. When experienced players want a more challenging game, they can add modules to the tower that makes it more difficult for other players to build upon. Playing a 1v1 game with a small amount of pieces can get really competitive and fun.
3. Playtesting was done with multiple samples of different pieces. Players would purposely modifying the rules to fit the pieces available to them.
- Learning new languages through play -
Because the prompts use basic vocabulary like color names, numbers, physical descriptions, and directions, the game can be a fun tool for learning languages.
Post game interviews during playtesting showed that players learned one new word per playthrough.