Crosswalk

This is my group's action project for my STEAM class, Game Changers. The motive of this elective term was to essentially learn about the origin of board games and the mechanics that make up a game in order to know what makes a game work and what makes a game great. By doing so, our class had spent a lot of hands-on learning getting to play a variety of tabletop games. As we got closer into the term, we talked to some awesome people that play and make games for a living! This worked as a great resource as we discussed certain mechanisms and what makes a game cater to certain audiences. This was a great segway into pitching our ideas by looking at certain foundations we would be curious to look into and build a game for. We then went with our number one pitch and started making it come to life! Enjoy the Behind The Scenes :)

Crosswalk

Crosswalk is an educational game that teaches children with autism how to cross the street safely. My group and I wanted to create a game that will help Autism Home Supports Foundation teach kids how to cross the street. This game allows for a therapist and child to work together in an attempt to learn and recognize how crossing a street works. Although the game was made with the intended audience being kids with autism, this game is very inclusive and can be used by all children into helping all children that are starting to cross streets on their own. This game will teach kids how to cross streets by including scenarios that they will encounter when crossing the street in their lifetime.

GA, "Crosswalk", 2018

How To Play By The Rules!

The Magic In The Making!

Creators Demo!

The making of Crosswalk started with the group making, I wanted to be in a group that is open-minded as it is the most crucial part when collaborating in building ideas from nothing. As I collaborated with VD and CG we were able to hold ourselves accountable as we made the game and had smooth conversations that really just made the whole process fun and calm. It was very easy for us to pitch our ideas and pinpoint it to one idea: crosswalk. Seeing our visual physically on our first prototype helped us see how our mechanics interact within the limited space of the board; this helped us drastically when making the rulebook as clear as possible while keeping it sweetly simple. After playtesting we also noticed the game went by quickly and many suggested including certain challenges to elongate the game. After receiving the feedback, we planned on having two ‘Crosswalk’ street boards one being an easy level and the other being a harder level that would show the progress the kid makes additionally creating more time to the game. After talking about the technical fixes we had finished our layout to perfectly set our final product. In the end, my team was satisfied with our end results and I hope you are as well! 

The makings of this game were balanced between my group members as we took one step at a time as a team. The way I personally contributed to the game was making the final product come to life in the best way possible. When CG had finished outlining the game I had gathered up all the supplies we will need into designing the look, this made it easy for my team to know what will go on the board and how it will be placed. I then measured the finalized prototype to perfectly line the streets with white papered streaks. Luckily I was able to finish one board so that CG could have an example and have an easier time completing the other at home. I also helped in writing the representation/theme of the game. It was fun coming up with ways to describe the board game in a way it's inclusive and fun. All in all, I had a great time being able to work with my group and grow as friends during it. Not only did this game inspire me to a field of creators but it also inspires me to be more around people who enjoy creating in itself. This has to be one of the best experience I had when working as a team and I hope it inspires you to do the same!