[GUEST POST] A Trip to Europe

Fairuj Nawar

Guest Author (TJC)

A Trip to Europe

The initial brainstorming/ideation phase:

The topic of this template is on travel/tourism. With so many interesting countries to choose from all around the world, I decided to centre the game around 4 European cities with fascinating histories and remarkable historical monuments. Connecting the cities of Paris, Rome, Athens and London – the game is a simulation of A Trip To Europe, which thus inspired the name.

Desired outcome/goal

The aim of this game template was to engage the player in a simulation of a European tour, where they could learn about the history of each city and its monuments through games. It was hence combined with a game of treasure hunt, with clues lying around all 4 cities, to make the game both informative and entertaining for the player and keep them hooked until the end.

How the template works

Upon opening the home page, the player will be faced with 4 chapters of the game, each of them being the capital of a European country, and each city consists of their own challenges and flash cards.

Upon the successful completion of every challenge, the player will accumulate points. Once sufficient points are earned, the player will unlock the next challenge or chapter, and receive clues or souvenirs that would lead them to the next destination in the treasure hunt.

The ultimate treasure lies in Athens, Greece. If the player is able to successfully complete the quest and earn enough points, they would be led to the treasure, and win the game.

Throughout the game the player has the opportunity to earn various badges and rewards in the form of souvenirs, which would encourage them to continue playing the game in order to get to the final reward. Some of the rewards are also in the form of clues, such as maps or letters, that would help them figure out their next destination.

Challenges

The first challenge faced while making this game would be the ideation. While it is relatively easier to create games on fictional topics, as it could be gamified using various elements, it was tougher to gamify a concept like travel and tourism which is mostly informative and educational. To make the game such that it stays true to the topic while also being entertaining for the player was slightly difficult to do so. Regardless, this challenge was overcome with some help from my mentor, who inspired the idea of incorporating treasure hunting with tourism.

Other challenges include limitations in the process of making the game. Although the website of Gametize consists of various gamification tools, it is still currently not possible to include advanced tools, such as game characters or different pathways that lead to different end results, that would make the game of treasure hunting more engaging.

Summary/conclusion

The whole process of creating this game, regardless of the limitations and challenges faced, was really enriching for me as the creator. I do hope that by trying out this template, the players will be able to learn more about Europe, while engaging themselves in the hunt for the ultimate treasure!

https://app.gametize.com/project/10924