Inspiration

We were inspired by interactive installations and games we had experienced in the past. We knew we wanted something playful and engaging. We also wanted to have our game showcase the creativity of the children who interacted with it. It was also important to us that the game be more of an experience than a competition -- no scorekeeping, winners, or losers.

• The Virtual Fishtank was a popular exhibit in the Boston Museum of Science. It allowed visitors to customize a fish with certain behavioral traits. The fish's selected traits affected its appearance and determined the emergent behavior displayed by the fish in the virtual fishtanks.
• Kids Design Glass is a collaboration between the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA and SeaTac Airport. Children's drawings are reproduced by glass artists and displayed at the airport.
• Minecraft is a first-person perspective video game in which players roam freely in a large three-dimensional environment. As described by Riordan and Scarf, "... when played in its traditional settings, Minecraft has no aim or specific goals, which allows players the freedom to immerse themselves in their own narrative, build, create, and explore." (Riordan and Scarf, 2016)