[OLPC-Games] Project IT Girl update

[Clare Richardson]

We're now into our fourth week of Project IT Girl, and we have very
exciting progress!

To refresh your memory: Project IT Girl is a Girlstart program funded by
the U.S. National Science Foundation that teaches high school girls in
Austin, Texas, about how they can change the world through the use of
technology. This year, Project IT Girls learn basic programming through
designing and developing their own educational games written with
Python/Pygame. At the end of the year, we'll make the games available to
the OLPC community.

We want this program to be able to be used as a pilot for classrooms
creating games and activities for the XO laptop.  Over 90% of the girls
have zero programming experience and, to be honest, not much interest in
programming.  Their main interest is in creating a product that makes a
difference.  They're already asking me if children in Nigeria would like
their game!

For the next 2 - 3 months, the girls will be fleshing out their game
idea.  Some girls are designing games directly related to school
subjects: astronomy, chemistry, multiplication, algebra, etc. But MOST
of the girls are interested in educating children about more social
issues: fuel conservation, recycling, AIDS testing, hygiene, nutrition,
etc.

We also have a good idea about the type of games they want to create.
The girls are designing their games using traditional video game genres,
but with an educational objective:
1) Maze game: similar to PacMan, but possibly with a question to answer
every time the character picks up an item in the maze
2) Adventure game: the character moves through a world or a story, and
must solve problems or answer questions when they meet another character
3) Strategy game: user makes several decisions that affect the game's
outcome; user learns the consequences of each decision
4) Practice drills: most of these are centered around math problems or
vocabulary
5) Arcade game: some sort of action must be done by the user using the
keyboard or mouse; emphasis is on speed and accuracy

By December, we'll have a better idea of the exact game designs and what
kinds of graphics the girls want to use in their games.

Clare Richardson
Technology and Program Coordinator
Girlstart
clare at girlstart.org