Family pet : an educational inter-generational computer game

• Main Author: Radianto, Anthony
• Other Authors: Miao Chun Yan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Software::Software engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52457
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

There is a lack of educational games targeted at a wide-ranging audience in today’s computer games industry. While educational games exist, many are besotted by problems, and very few are aimed towards players from multiple generations. Family Pet is a project that attempts to create such a game through the usage of several concepts: persuasive techniques, positive psychology, and inter-generational play. In it, players act as a family unit to take care of a family pet. Players are tasked with growing a healthy pet through activities such as feeding it, playing with it, and so on. To promote inter-generational play, Family Pet features different roles for its players; young players make most of the decisions in regards to the pet, and the elder players will be informed of these decisions, thus encouraging communication between players of different generations outside the game. Occasionally, all the players from the family will be prompted to discuss and suggest a proposed solution to particularly challenging problems that the pet is facing. Another aspect of Family Pet is its educational nature. One of the requirements for a healthy pet is to regularly study with it. This can range from educational topics such as mathematics and science to more common, social topics such as basic courtesy. Players motivated to achieve healthy pets will thus spend more time studying with it, and in turn acquire the knowledge that the game presents. For young players, this comes in the form of the aforementioned educational and social topics. For players from older generations, they are tasked with supervising the young players’ answers, and encouraged to discuss with them should the answers prove to be wrong or inaccurate. By following the theories of persuasive techniques, positive psychology, and inter-generational play, Family Pet strives to create an educational, inter-generational game, thus filling in the gap for such games in the current computer gaming market.