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A Peek into "Quinn's Day Out"

 Gamestorming is not as easy as it seems (at least in my opinion). Coming up with some rough ideas was easy enough, I was able to get a few ideas written down. Turning those ideas into a usable game narrative is what got me. Looking back, I think one issue was that most of my ideas are more focused on the game mechanics instead of the story. 

The path that eventually led me to the winning idea went like this: I knew that if I was going to use Twine, the best option would be to model my game after a choose your own adventure game. I then thought about what I wanted my learning objective to be. I have always wanted to come up with games that could double as tools that provide real life skills. I did some research and found the subject of Social Emotional Learning through which I learned that many people (adults and children) struggle with social interactions. Now that I knew what skills I wanted to teach and the type of game I wanted to make, I just needed to put the puzzle pieces together.

The title is still a work in progress. My first thought was calling it “Friendship Trails” because I had envisioned a narrative about a kid taking a walk through a trail in a park and having different social interactions along the way.I did receive some peer feedback that the title “Friendship Trails” may be a bit misleading and I don’t disagree, especially as I developed the narrative, the types of interactions are focused on more than just social interactions. I am still not 100% sure of the title yet but I feel “Quinn’s day out,” although very basic, could work (as I will later describe, the main character’s name is Quinn). I will continue to play with my options until I find the right fit (of course, all feedback is welcome).

As I mentioned, I am focusing the narrative on Social Emotional Learning. I am following the Casel 5 framework for SEL skills which include social awareness, decision making, self- management, relationship skills, and self awareness.

For the learning objective, learners will demonstrate the ability to identify and apply SEL skills within realistic game scenarios. Using Bloom’s taxonomy, learners will be able to identify a variety of emotions, understand the consequences of emotional responses, apply SEL skills, and evaluate the effectiveness of their choice. 

In the game, you will play as Quinn, a kid out for a day at the park with their dad. On your way to the park, dad lets Quinn know that there will be other kids at the park so they will need to be on their best behavior. Dad offers Quinn a deal, for every good choice made, they will get 1 star. If Quinn has enough stars at the end of the day, dad will get them a special treat! 

As Quinn navigates self-management, social awareness, empathy, and more, they’ll learn how to handle your emotions, understand others better, and make choices that help build stronger relationships. This game is meant to serve as a fun way to practice real-life social interactions and managing big feelings. 

While I am still working the kinks out of the main narrative, here is some of what I am envisioning. I have been working on drawing out my storyboard which includes the branching scenarios:


Please forgive my messy handwriting, I prefer this method vs using a web based storyboarding tool. I understand that this might look a bit chaotic, however I am able to make sense of it and will continue to evolve it. For now, this is just a crude representation that helps me get my thoughts down on paper. Here is a quick run through:

You will start out on the title page > then you will click through to the story which is where you will meet Quinn and their dad who explains the goal of the game (make at least 2 good choices) > Quinn’s first challenge will be at the swings on the playground, Quinn gets frustrated when they can’t use the swings right away. Option 1- Cry and throw a tantrum because you aren’t getting your way. Option 2- Push another kid off so you can get on. Option 3- Patiently wait your turn and find something else to do in the meantime.
If you choose option 1 or 2, dad will not give you a star. If you choose option 3, dad will give you a star!
There will be 3 challenges total (to keep things as simple as possible for now). After challenge 2, dad will let you know how many stars you have. If you have 1 or 0 stars, dad will give you the chance to go back and try again. After challenge 3, if you have enough stars (2 or 3), dad will take Quinn out for ice cream! If you do not have enough, (0 or 1) dad will let you know that you didn’t quite make it and will have to try again another day.

The peer feedback I received mentioned that the story could use more complexity as well as incentives for the players to drive them. I believe these have really helped me make adjustments and I am pretty happy with how things are shaping up but of course, I am always open to more feedback! I am looking forward to sharing the many more updates to come!

To end, I wanted to share this fun artwork I made using Canva's AI tool:




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