Rocket Racers

Developing design related skills to create a STEM boardgame

The aim of this project was to learn more about game design and to further develop design skills such as 3D printing, physical modelling and using CAD software. This was also my first time conducting primary research directly with the target audience.

The intial brief I chose was to design a STEM based game for Primary school aged children.

Completed as part of my EPQ qualification.

Although this is an older project it was important to my development as a designer and identified toy and game design as an area I am passionate in.

Planning stage

Project aim(s):

To design and prototype a STEM based game suitable for Primary school aged children
Learn/ improve design related skills

Objectives/plan:

Identify design skills relevant to the project
Determine current skill levels, why these skills are important and how my progress can be measured
Create Gantt chart to manage the project progression
Evaluate existing similar products
Research National Curriculum to identify STEM based topics and target age range
Conduct expert interviews
Create specification for outcome
Evaluate different CAD softwares to choose the one best suited for this project.
Identify what type of boardgame or toy the outcome should be
Develop concept
Evaluate using focus group made up of target audience

Skill	Why is this skill important?	What is my current skill level?	How will I measure progress?
CAD software	To visualise ideas and communicate them to other people	Limited experience with SOLIDWORKS	Screenshot models at different stages to show progression
Primary research	To gather reliable information to support and evidence design decisions	No skill level/ never attempted before	Plan research beforehand and make targets that I can review after to see if they have been met
Prototyping/manufacture	To create a functional prototype to show the results of the project	Some previous knowledge of hand tools in the workshop	Quality of outcome will indicate skill level

Research Stage

Existing Products

Existing toys and games were researched to find gaps in the market and identify what works and does not work in a game.

Toys researched in this section include:

GoldieBloxs
Lego
Tinker Crate

National Curriculum

The National Curriculum was used to identify what topics are taught to children at which age.
By lining the games subject matter up with the curriculum it ensures that the information is age appropriate and the game could be used by teachers as a teaching aid
This research only looked at topics that fell under Science and Maths to keep it relivant to the project (STEM)
Intially research was done into most Primary school years (Year 1-6)
Eventually the age range of 10-11 years old (Year 6) was chosen as the target audience as that age group would allow the educational element of the game to have more depth and the game could pull from any of the topics covered in previous years as well.

Specification

Specification point	How
Encourage an interest in STEM related topics	Include STEM based topic as the game theme and incorperate it into the game mechanics
Appropriate for chosen age range/ target audience	Choose a topic from the National Curriculum specification for the target audience age range
Provide enjoyable learning experience	Provide clear instructions on how to play

Prototyping

Concept

A space themed game where the players role a dice to move around the board and collect components by correctly answering space themed questions. The winner is the first person to collect all the components and launch their miniature plastic rocket.

Manufacture/ Materials

At the time I did not have access to all of the materials and equipiment required to make a fully functioning high-fidelity model so instead a mid-fidelity model with equivalent materials was made to demonstrate the concept.

Component	Material/Manufacture
Board	White paint canvas
Space themed counters	3D printed
Planet components	Felted polystyrene balls
Board graphics	Adobe Illustrator
Dice/ Rockets/Pumps	Purchased
Box graphics	Stickers
Action and Question cards	Lamenated card

Focus Group Testing

To evaluate whether the project was successful I organised a school visit for the children to test and give feedback on the game.