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Quick Start Tutorials for Template-Based Games

Looking for an easy way to give kids a brief taste of working with TaleBlazer? Try out this curriculum!

Developed as part of our NSF-funded project iCSI (Informal Community Science Investigators) (grant #1223407)
Includes approximately 4 to 5 hours of TaleBlazer curricula & game templates
For facilitators seeking to engage youth in making TaleBlazer games
Note: Some materials are science themed, but content can be adapted for a range of topics.

Quick Zip Download of All Docs
Want everything? Here is a quick download of all the documentation listed below.

FACILITATOR'S GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED(for facilitators)
Start here! This document will help facilitators plan their game design programs and prepare the template games for use at their site.

GENERAL CURRICULUM (for facilitators)
Details the sequence and procedures for a four-hour game design program. Includes extension suggestions.

NARRATIVE MYSTERY OVERVIEW (for facilitators)
SCORE GAME OVERVIEW (for facilitators)
Informational sheets that describe the template games and list ideas for other ways to use the template format. Use these sheets to help decide which template game to use for your program.

NARRATIVE MYSTERY LONG TUTORIAL (for facilitators)
SCORE GAME LONG TUTORIAL (for facilitators)
Full tutorials explaining how to create a new game from each game template. Includes more detail and screenshots from the mobile app to assist designers. Particularly useful for facilitators learning the software or other situations where game designers don't have a lot of support from people familiar with the software.

NARRATIVE MYSTERY GAME DIAGRAM - BLANK (for students)
NARRATIVE MYSTERY GAME DIAGRAM - DESCRIPTIONS (for students)
SCORE GAME DIAGRAM - BLANK (for students)
SCORE GAME DIAGRAM - DESCRIPTIONS (for students)
Diagrams to be used to facilitate discussions about game structure. Diagrams leave some areas blank for the class to fill in.

NARRATIVE MYSTERY WORKSHEET (for students)
SCORE GAME WORKSHEET (for students)
Worksheets with guiding questions on one side and a blank game diagram on the back to help game designers use each of the template games.

SHORT NARRATIVE MYSTERY TUTORIAL (for students)
SHORT SCORE GAME TUTORIAL (for students)
Short versions of the tutorials explaining how to make games from the templates. Much easier to print and less intimidating than the full tutorials. Designers may need more support from facilitators when using the short tutorials.

PEER REVIEW GUIDE (for students)
Guides game designers through the process of observing another person playing their game.

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Outlines common game troubles and likely solutions. Useful for facilitators to have on hand during the program to consult as issue arise.

After-School Program

The Seattle Public Library and TaleBlazer team have created materials and curriculum for libraries and other out-of-school settings.

Click here to access the Story'Hood curriculum, aimed at teen learners designing location based games about their own neighborhood/community.

Click here to see the Story'Hood course offerings currently available on location at the Seattle Public Library.

Game X - Engaging Youth in Big Challenges through Augmented Reality Games

WHAT IS GAME X?

The MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program and the Bryan Johnson Foundation are developing a pilot project, Game X, that uses a location-based AR game for upper-elementary and middle-school youth to explore key ideas of global climate change. The game, developed in close collaboration with climate change educators, blends fact and fiction, challenging players to understand problems, gather information, make decisions and move through the narrative, seeing the consequences of their decisions and gaining a deeper understanding of the complex topic. The game leverages specific aspects of a location (a suburban Boston-area town center), while at the same time remaining flexible enough to be readily relocated to other similar urban or suburban locations.

PLAY THE GAME

Game X - Lexington can be downloaded in the TaleBlazer app and played on location in Lexington, Massachusetts. Gameplay takes about 30-40 minutes and begins/ends here on the grassy area in front of the Lexington Visitor's Center. (Note: the game is not officially affiliated with the town or with the Lexington Visitor's Center.) Players will cover approximately 1 mile of distance en route during the game.

SEEKING BETA TESTERS

Game X is designed to be "portable" so that other towns can localize and customize the game to their own locations. A beta release of the instructions for localizing the game are available for download. These instructions may contain errors, typos, or other problems. We are actively seeking feedback so that we can improve and release final versions of these materials. Interested in being a beta tester? We encourage you to share your feedback by emailing us at support@taleblazer.org with "Game X Beta" in the subject line.

Download the materials for Game X here.
GAME X REMIX INSTRUCTIONS
CURRICULUM FOR POST-ACTIVITY DISCUSSION (Coming Soon!)