This week is the beginning of a new project: a location based game encouraging children to go outside and learn about nature.

At the end of this project, I will have a working prototype of the ‘nature trail’ game, and develop a presentation to explain the game concept, along with these blog posts that outline the creative methods used to generate ideas.

The very first thing we did was familiarise ourselves with the technology we would be using to create this game. We will be using ARIS in this project. ARIS will ‘allow the user to experience and interact with objects and experiences directly while also allowing digital augmentation to add more fun’, as described in our project brief.

I looked at games that had already been created on ARIS by downloading the app and researching what is possible.

Then, in groups, we created a series of mind maps on the topics of location, game model (principles), materials/objects they may interact with and senses.

We decided at this point to make individual games based on the ideas generated in our group sessions.

I am going to base my nature trail game in Abbots Wood, located just off the A27 near Polegate (East Sussex). It is a beautiful place, with lots of things to discover and explore. I want my nature trail to include having to walk a fair distance as well as searching, finding and collecting things, as the main aim behind the game is to educate children about nature, but also to encourage gentle exercise and the many other benefits to being outside.