Week 4: While on the topic of games and gamification...

Last week, the topic of gamification came up and it seems to be sticking with us as we unlock badges that represent our achievements within the course. During a blog last week, I floated the idea of a project I have been developing, and there seemed to be some interest in it. As a result, I figured I could use this time to share it with those curious to learn more!

The project is called Alchemists, and it is my attempt at answering a question that has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time: can a game secretly teach players something without feeling educational?

As someone who enjoys both instructional design and video games, I have always been fascinated by educational games. Unfortunately, many educational games have a reputation for being, well... educational. The learning objectives are often so obvious that the experience feels more like a digital workbook than an actual game. My goal, and one of the reasons I pursued this master's program in the first place, is to flip that script and design experiences that are genuinely entertaining while still teaching players something meaningful. Alchemists is my first real attempt at doing exactly.

In Alchemists, players take on the role of an apprentice competing in a tournament to become the next Grand Alchemist, one of the most prestigious titles in my fictional world. Along the way, they explore a fantasy kingdom, battle monsters, solve puzzles, gather resources, and discover new magical abilities. On the surface, it looks like a fairly traditional RPG inspired by games like Pokémon, Dragon Quest, and other fantasy adventures. Underneath all of that, however, players are actually learning basic chemistry through gameplay.

Players collect elements throughout the world and refine them into magical essences. These essences can then be combined to create spells, but only if the correct ingredients and quantities are used. A simple water spell, for example, requires the proper ratio of hydrogen and oxygen. As players progress, stronger spells require more advanced combinations and reactions. Rather than memorizing chemistry facts because a game tells them to, players learn because they want to create more powerful abilities and overcome increasingly difficult challenges.

What excites me most about the project is that the chemistry is not something added on top of the gameplay. It is the gameplay. Every puzzle, battle, and crafting activity is built around the player's growing understanding of how elements interact with one another. Ideally, players become so focused on becoming a better alchemist that they forget they are learning chemistry in the first place.

From an instructional design perspective, the project draws heavily from ideas such as discovery learning and constructivism. Players are encouraged to experiment, fail, and try again rather than simply being handed the correct answers. The goal is not to have an in-game teacher lecture players about chemistry, but to create situations where understanding chemistry naturally leads to success.

The funny thing is that while Alchemists is designed as a single-player experience, its development has been anything but. A lot of the ideas behind it came from bouncing between online communities, watching game design videos, reading discussions, and borrowing inspiration from other games I enjoy. Social media and online communities have essentially acted as a giant brainstorming partner throughout the entire process. Looking back, this feels a lot like crowdsourcing. While I may be the one putting the pieces together, many of those pieces originated from creators, communities, and conversations spread across the internet. If and when I eventually move the project into active development, I imagine platforms like Pinterest will become even more valuable for collecting ideas, organizing inspiration, and keeping track of the countless design elements that catch my attention.

Will it ever become a fully developed game? That is certainly the goal. But even if it never makes it beyond the prototype stage, it has already taught me a great deal about instructional design, motivation, and just how difficult it can be to hide vegetables inside a really good meal.