Young players will learn how to think like a programmer by nurturing and caring for a digital plant. Each coding question fosters an understanding of coding logic in a fun and interactive way.
Sprout Scripts emerged from a desire to bridge the gender gap in computer science. We were all inspired by the inclusivity of events like Pearl Hacks, and how it gives us a space to develop skills necessary to succeed in a male-dominated field. We recognized the need to encourage young girls to explore STEM fields, as they are often undereducated about STEM careers and dissuaded from pursuing them. Aware of the early barriers girls face, we decided to start at the beginning; make a engaging game that will spark girls interests in the field from a young age, improving the prospect of female tech employees in the future. We see Sprout Scrips and games like it as a step toward a more diverse and inclusive future in the tech industry.
Sprout Scripts is a game that allows you to nurture a virtual plant while learning to think like a programmer. In the beginning of the game, the player views a mini-lession about programming that will aid in their understanding of the rest of the game. We took the necessary steps to keep a plant alive, such as watering and sunlight, and presented them as conditional statements or loops. There are buttons to progress the game and display new questions for the player to contemplate. By the end of the game, the player has a further understanding of the logic behind coding, as well as the satisfaction of growing a beautiful virtual sunflower!
We built Sprout Script using Pygame in VSCode. Additionally, we used a drawing app to hand-draw all of the background scenes. We divided tasks and then came together to finish the project.
None of our team members were thoroughly experienced using Pygame, which cause a few blocks in the road. Half of our team was also unfamiliar with Python overall. Learning how to create a button proved to be challenging for all of us, although we figured it out in the end. Additionally, we originally had a much bigger project in mind, but realized that it was not feasible in the time allotted. We wanted to create more games and a more user-friendly interface, but ultimately decided to focus on finishing just one game.
First and foremost, we are all excited that we were able to submit a project by the deadline. We are all proud of eachother for not giving up, even if it did not always go as planned. Successfully creating the buttons and having the game appear visually the way we had in mind was very rewarding. Lastly, since 2 of our member had not previously coding in Python, we feel extremely proud that they were able to learn a new language and create something in such a short time.
We learned how to look at documentation of a package that we have never used before, and implement its methods. Additionally, some of us learned a new language (yay!) and how to communicate with eachother to create something we're proud of.
We would love to implement a better user interface, as well as take input from the user to allow them to type the code themselves. Ultimately, we want Sprout Script to be one of many games on a website that has educational, coding-centered games. As we further our own coding skills, we want to be able to help younger girls improve theirs as well.