Inspiration
The inspiration for this skill comes from the choose-your own-adventure type books that we all remember reading as kids, and the fun we had with them. I figured the Echo would be a great platform to bring the spirit of those books to today's kids, but with a fun twist: giving them the chance to learn something about the solar system at the same time! With this skill kids will have the chance to go on fun adventures throughout space, and learn a little something at the same time.
What it does
This skill takes kids on an adventure to find an astronaut - Major Molly - who's gone missing exploring the solar system. Major Molly will leave them a clue about which random planet she visited, and players will have a chance to look for her in several different locations on those planets (such as on moons, the planet's surface, and other locations that appear randomly - like space ships and asteroids). As well as the choose-your-own-adventure aspects, kids will get told facts about the places they visit on their search, so they can learn about the solar system, as well as get different experiences and choices each time they open the skill.
How we built it
The skill is built using javascript and AWS lamba, I used some of our limited photoshop abilities to make the skill accessible and fun on the Echo Show as well.
Challenges we ran into
Learning javascript and the eccentricities of the Alexa SDK, as well as the SSML language proved to be a real challenge. So did coming up with novel stories that I think will engage, educate, and entertain kids.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
There are literally hundreds of different places kids can visit using this skill, throughout the solar system. This means that kids can use the skill dozens and dozens of times before they revisit a story they've heard before - unless they want to try that of course! Plus I've designed the skill so that it's easy for us to continually add more and more content, so over time it will be really hard to have the same adventure over again.
What we learned
I learned how to code an alexa skill! This was a really challenging exercise in stretching my knowledge of how skills work, and creating something more than just a basic audio skill. I purposefully stretched myself by creating something that works just as well on an Echo Show as it does on the standard Echo devices.
What's next for Solar Hunt
I hope to add much more dynamic content over time, more science facts for kids to learn, new adventures for players, and new stories to tell. Who knows maybe soon Major Molly can venture beyond our solar system and start exploring some exo-planets.
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