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Platformer Game
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Project

Project Background

Innovation is often the defining characteristic of video games in their ever-evolving landscape.

Amidst the stunning graphics and complex narratives, there is a silent but critical issue that many

game developers have overlooked: accessibility for non-readers, particularly children who have

yet to learn to read and write (Minkkinen, 2016). Enter a new breed of platformer games

designed to be inclusive and intuitive, bridging the gap between young players and their digital

adventures. In this project proposal, we will explore how these games break down barriers by

offering detailed visual and auditory cues, easy-to-grasp controls, and enhanced graphics. This

revolutionizes the platformer genre for young non-readers, comparing them to their predecessors

that lacked this essential feature.

Identification of Problem

Previous platformer games presented their instructions and tutorials in a text-based format.

While this might have been suitable for players who could read, it became a significant hurdle

for young children who either couldn't read or had limited reading skills. For non-English-

speaking children, text-based instructions can pose an even more significant challenge, as they

may not understand the language used in the game (Melcer and Cuerdo, 2020). The inability to

comprehend instructions or prompts can quickly lead to frustration. Young players may abandon

the game altogether or seek help from adults, diminishing their sense of accomplishment. Games

are essential tools for learning, and when they are overly reliant on text, they miss an opportunity

to facilitate learning through gameplay, exploration, and experimentation.

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Visual cues and elements in older platformers were often subtle or not explicitly highlighted,

making it difficult for non-readers to grasp key information. This issue not only affected young

children but also players with certain visual impairments. When important objectives or cues are

not visually distinct, players may overlook them entirely, leading to confusion and a sense of

being stuck in the game (Wehbe et al., 2017). Visual clarity is not only vital for non-readers but

also for players with color blindness or visual impairments. Inaccessible design excludes a

broader range of gamers. Modern gaming relies heavily on immersion, and visual clarity plays a

significant role in achieving this. A lack of clarity can disrupt the player's connection with the

game world. In this case, this project proposes a new platformer game. This game will be an

improved version of the previous system since it will have advanced features that will help users

have a better gaming experience and will make them want to go back to the platformer genre.

Description of the Game

The game will feature a global score counter that tracks players' progress in real time. Gamers

will be able to monitor the top players from around the world through a dynamic leaderboard,

encouraging competition and fostering a community among them. In the game, enemies will be

equipped with advanced artificial intelligence, enabling them to strategically detect and follow

the player. This game requires players to engage intelligent enemies through various attacks and

tactics, eliminating the option of simply running away. Players will play for 10 minutes, with the

difficulty level gradually increasing as they progress through the levels. Each new level will

introduce fresh challenges, obstacles, and enemy types, providing an ever-evolving gaming

experience.

This platformer game features stunning and vibrant graphics that bring the platformers to life. It

creates an unforgettable gaming experience by enhancing immersion through a captivating

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soundtrack and sound effects. The game will be available on PC, consoles, and mobile devices,

making it accessible to a wide audience. Throughout the game, players will control a character

who navigates through a series of levels filled with platforms, traps, and enemies. Intelligent

enemies will constantly adapt to the player's actions, making the experience dynamic and

engaging. The levels will become increasingly difficult as the game progresses, providing a

sense of accomplishment as players overcome increasingly complex obstacles. To climb the

global leaderboard, players must collect power-ups, defeat enemies, and complete challenges

within the 10-minute time limit.

Research into Platformer Gaming

Platformer games, or platform games, are common in video games, featuring players guiding

characters through platforms, hurdles, and tasks. The central goal is to navigate from start to

finish while overcoming challenges, foes, and riddles. From humble beginnings, platformers

have significantly advanced. Here's an overview of platformer gaming research: Both "Donkey

Kong" (1981) and "Mario Bros." (1983) emerged during the birth of the platformer genre in the

arcade era (Nygren, Denzinger, Stephenson, and Aycock, 2011). These games introduced

fundamental elements like jumping, running, and level progression. The platformer genre thrived

during the era of 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. Platforming virtuosity is synonymous with the likes

of "Super Mario," "Sonic the Hedgehog," and "Mega Man." As platformers adapted to the 3D era

with titles like "Super Mario 64" and "Banjo-Kazooie," designers faced new obstacles while

exploring new possibilities.

To excel in platformers, precision jumping and character handling are essential. Adapting to

diverse terrain, players navigate gaps and platforms with precision. Encompassing a spectrum of

obstacles, platformers present intricate challenges and complexities through spikes, pits, and
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enemies. Platformer games frequently include power-ups like mushrooms and stars to augment

characters' abilities. Integral to the experience are collecting and scoring high.

Incorporating aspects of platformers, open-world exploration, and character evolution, this

subgenre offers something fresh and exciting. Examples like "Metroid" and "Castlevania" are

renowned in this regard. On handheld devices, players encounter prolonged sequences of running

and jumping. Popular entries in this genre include "Temple Run" and "Jetpack Joyride."

Platformers are being tailored to appeal to a diverse crowd, with visual cues, streamlined

controls, and universal design features. Renewed creativity in the indie space has led to the

emergence of exciting platformers like "Hollow Knight," "Celeste," and "Cuphead," which often

blend vintage styles with modern play mechanics. Within the world of modern platformers,

online multiplayer functions have become the norm, fostering cooperative or competitive

interactions amongst players (Iskandar et al., 2020). Platformer games provide a unique learning

experience, cultivating problem-solving abilities, spatial reasoning, and dexterity. Certain

educational games incorporate platforming to educate on topics such as math and physics.

Technology's progression bodes well for platformers, guaranteeing deeper engagement and

freshly devised functionalities. Platformer gaming's future includes a crucial element -

accessibility features. Essentially, platformers have been a driving force in the evolution of

gaming, providing a diverse range of challenges and memorable characters. Throughout the

years, they have adapted to innovative technologies and player desires while preserving their

primary essence. Advancing convenience and creativity, platformers continue thriving as a

gaming genre of choice.

Identifying Prospective Users

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The prospective users of this game will primarily be children who cannot read. This game will

help them develop mentally by assisting them in their gameplay. Parents and guardians might

also use the game when teaching their children how the game works or how the child is expected

to play the game.

Identification of User Needs

The game should be more appealing and better than previous platformer games. When this need

is fulfilled, it will bring the platformer genre back to the mainstream of gaming. This game was

not popular because many games have emerged that provide a better experience to users and the

target market. Another user need is audio. Since the game will be played mostly by children who

cannot read, they will need audio guidance on the activities they should be doing to succeed in

the platform.

The audio will synchronize with every activity performed in the game. Upon opening the game,

it will welcome the user and guide them through the necessary steps. The default language for

the audio will be English, but other users will have the option to choose a different language

based on their location. The audio can also be adjusted to meet user needs, either manually

through device components or within the game itself. Another user need is high-quality graphics.

Player images will be in HD quality to enhance the gaming experience. Players, enemies, and

key elements will be easily distinguishable. The game will provide graphics that guide users on

how to play, including arrows indicating the next step. This will be synchronized with audio to

facilitate user understanding. Another user need is having a leaderboard. This feature will help

players track their performance and compare themselves with others. The online leaderboard will

depend on the number of points a player earns in the game.

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Objectives of the Project:

• Offer a platformer game for children who cannot read.

• Bring back the platformer genre to the mainstream.

• Make gaming more interactive and educational for children who cannot read.

Data Flow Diagram:

Feedback: After presenting this feedback, I received numerous responses from parents and

teachers. Most of them were excited about the idea and believed that this project would be

helpful for children who cannot read. Some suggested that the game should have consistent
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upgrades, enabling them to provide recommendations for additions to the game. In

demonstrations to a few people, most were amazed at how the levels progressed from simple to

complex within a short period.

Potential Solution: The game will be designed using the object-oriented approach. It will have

different graphic user interfaces as the game changes from one level to another. Sound and

graphics will be synchronized to deliver the best platformer gaming experience.

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References

Minkkinen, T. (2016). Basics of Platform Games.

Melcer, E. F., & Cuerdo, M. A. M. (2020). Death and rebirth in platformer games. Game User

Experience And Player-Centered Design, 265-293.

Wehbe, R. R., Mekler, E. D., Schaekermann, M., Lank, E., & Nacke, L. E. (2017, May). Testing

incremental difficulty design in platformer games. In Proceedings of the 2017 CHI

Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 5109-5113).

Iskandar, U. A. S., Diah, N. M., & Ismail, M. (2020, June). Identifying artificial intelligence

Pathfinding algorithms for Platformer games. In 2020 IEEE International Conference on

Automatic Control and Intelligent Systems (I2CACIS) (pp. 74-80). IEEE.

Nygren, N., Denzinger, J., Stephenson, B., & Aycock, J. (2011, August). User-preference-based

automated level generation for platform games. In 2011 IEEE Conference on

Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG'11) (pp. 55-62). IEEE.