Programming an HTML/CSS/JavaScript Mini-Game

One of the primary reasons why I wanted to attend HGSE was to explore the technical side of education and understand how educational technology apps and programs were designed and created. T581 was a course taught by Dr. Louisa Rosenheck, which aimed to bring multiple designers into a studio to craft a compelling educational program through technology. 

After studying key design methodologies and critical equity-focused decision-making, and developing basic HTML/CSS skills, students in this course were set on a task to create a program for children based on play. 

Gerr! was the product of our 6 person team, attempting to create a research-based, engaging, and silly product for children to help manage their emotions and give them opportunities to explore emotions in a playful way. It was a fast project, leveraging Agile project management methods to quickly iterate ideas and solve issues in a 6-week timespan. I was principally in charge of the HTML coding process of the game. 

The interface was a simple, old school, 2-D world where the user could move their characters around a "map" and could encounter different social emotional challenges. 

This project illuminated both the complexities and challenges of designing a game from a technical standpoint, but also how difficult it can be to fulfill all of the different desires and requests from our user interviews. Although the game itself was not fully completed, the active process it took to learn these skills helped develop a more empathetic stance on how programs, games, applications, etc. are created across the world.