The Grove

• 

  Title Screen

Inspiration

Many students struggle with motivation, task overload, and procrastination cycles. This project was inspired by my own experience with low motivation on some days, and the desire to make productivity feel less overwhelming and more rewarding.

What it does

The Grove transforms real-life tasks into a game loop: Complete tasks → Gain materials/ flowers → Craft and grow ingredients → Sell/refine → Progress your NPC(s) and in game levels

By linking productivity to visible in-game progress, it makes completing tasks feel engaging, purposeful, and rewarding rather than draining.

How I built it

The project was built using Python with the Pygame library. I followed an object-oriented, modular architecture so systems (tasks, UI, scenes, recommendations) are decoupled and easy to expand. Task data is persisted using JSON storage, and a custom scene manager, button system, and modal UI system handle interaction and flow.

Challenges we ran into

There were many bugs and I had to pivot from many parts of the original design. Pygame can be difficult when managing UI layers and hitboxes, so placing interactive buttons correctly required significant trial and error. Debugging rendering order and event handling was especially challenging.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I built and submitted this project solo within 24 hours. Despite the time pressure, I implemented a working task system, persistence, UI framework, and recommendation system. Even if the current submission is far from where I may have wanted it to be, It is a good base for improving this program

What we learned

I gained hands-on experience with JSON data handling, Python modular design, and advanced Pygame usage. I also improved my debugging skills, learned how to structure larger projects, and how important planning and system separation are for scalability.

What's next for The Grove?

I want to expand this into a more complete productivity game by: Improving the advisor recommendation algorithm Exploring AI APIs or GOAP (Goal-Oriented Action Planning) for smarter task suggestions Adding custom art, animations, and improved UI/UX Turning it into a desktop app with notifications and reminders for time-bound tasks Expanding task features for greater usability

The long-term goal is to make productivity feel like meaningful progression rather than a chore.

Built With

• json
• pygame
• python