TASK 6 | PLANNING & SEQUENCING 

A highly effective task to encourage students to demonstrate sequential thinking in game development is to have them **create a detailed flowchart or storyboard of their game's sequence of events before they start coding**. This exercise compels students to plan out each step of the game, from the initial user interaction to the final outcome, ensuring they consider the logical flow and dependencies between different game elements.

**Implementation of the Task:**

1. **Introduce Flowcharts and Storyboards:**

   - Begin by teaching students how to use flowcharts to represent programming logic and storyboards for visual storytelling.

   - Provide examples related to simple games to illustrate how each element fits into the overall sequence.

2. **Define Game Objectives:**

   - Ask students to write a clear objective for their game. What is the goal? What should the player achieve?

   - Encourage them to consider the game's theme, storyline, and end conditions.

3. **Identify Game Components:**

   - Have students list all the elements involved in the game, such as characters, obstacles, rewards, and user inputs.

   - Discuss how each component interacts with others.

4. **Map Out the Sequence of Events:**

   - Students should create a step-by-step flowchart outlining the game's progression.

   - Include decision points (e.g., if-else conditions), loops, and possible user choices that affect the game's outcome.

   - Ensure they consider error handling and unexpected user actions.

5. **Incorporate Pseudocode (Optional):**

   - For a more in-depth exercise, students can write pseudocode alongside their flowcharts to detail the logic in programming terms.

6. **Peer Review Sessions:**

   - Organize sessions where students present their flowcharts to classmates.

   - Encourage constructive feedback focusing on the logic flow and potential improvements.

7. **Reflect and Revise:**

   - After peer review, allow time for students to refine their flowcharts based on the feedback received.

**Benefits of the Task:**

- **Enhances Logical Thinking:** By breaking down the game into sequential steps, students develop a stronger grasp of programming logic.

- **Prevents Coding Errors:** Planning ahead reduces the likelihood of logical errors and bugs during the coding phase.

- **Encourages Problem-Solving:** Students learn to anticipate challenges and think critically about how to address them.

- **Promotes Collaboration:** Peer reviews foster a collaborative learning environment where students can learn from each other.

**Example Scenario:**

If students are tasked with creating a simple maze game:

- **Objective:** Guide a character from the start to the finish without hitting obstacles.

- **Components:** Player character, maze walls, obstacles, finish line, controls.

- **Sequence:**

  1. Game starts with the character at the entrance of the maze.

  2. Player uses keyboard arrows to move the character.

  3. If the character hits a wall, movement stops in that direction.

  4. If the character reaches the finish line, display a victory message.

  5. Option to restart or quit the game.

By mapping this out, students can visualize the entire game flow, making the coding process more manageable and structured.

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This task effectively bridges the gap between conceptual understanding and practical application, reinforcing the importance of planning and sequential thinking in programming.