Inspiration
We were inspired by our experience as beginner computer science students- there's so much to learn! We talked about how we learned other complex information when we were kids- and that lead to a discussion about educational video games. We decided to make a simple videogame to teach students fundamental computer science vocabulary and concepts while also teaching a bit of computer science history.
What it does
Our game is a 2D adventure game with a retro pixel art style. Players play as Dr. Grace Hopper, an iconic early computer scientist, as they explore her computer lab and open locked doors by answering computer science questions. The game ends with a boss battle against the original computer bug- a moth!
How we built it
We built our game in Java.
Challenges we ran into
The main challenge we faced was time- videogames are complex and require a lot of different elements and functionality. Additionally, our team is made of all beginners. 3/4 of our team hadn't used Java prior to this Hackathon.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of what we were able to accomplish in the time we had with the skill we have. We're particularly proud of the pixel art we created and integrated as well as the functionality of our character's movement within the world.
What we learned
We learned a lot about working on a team to create a big project! We spent a lot of time on the planning process and delegating tasks, which I think helped us accomplish as much as we did. Additionally, we all learned a lot about Java and game design!
What's next for Grace Hopper Debugs!
We would love to finish our game, including integrating our quiz questions and adding details to our world!
