Dreamtime

This educational game is set in the space of Dreamtime, which takes place in a time before time, or during all times. Dreamtime itself ties deeply into the physical geography of the land, so things such as physical landmarks are hugely important. Aboriginal creation myths, along with other passed-on stories, can be told within this space. Though there are over 400 groups of Aboriginal people in Australia, this is one of the more common shared concepts.

The player discovers the world through their animal dreamings, which allow them to change forms (human, ant, or kangaroo). As they progress through the level, the player uncovers more and more of the Rainbow Serpent folk tale. 

Whenever the player reaches a new checkpoint (a campfire), they will gain wisdom. Each checkpoint also reveals more and more of the folk tale tied to the level. The goal of the game is to gain enough wisdom and uncover the entire story of each level. 

Each level of the game corresponds with a lesson plan. After the class completes each story-based level, the teacher can then go into more depth about the story itself, as well as the cultural background for that story in particular. The lessons can also teach more about the realm of Dreamtime and explain more about its complexity, since not all of that can be conveyed with the game itself.

This prototype contains only one folk tale, but a full game could contain many stories and lessons from various Aboriginal groups. This proof-of-concept was created in 4 weeks for a Production 1 class at Champlain College.  Created by:

Kayla Miskiv, designer
Mico Demo, designer
Cory Smith, programmer
Dustin Yost, programmer
Jody Briggs, artist
Jennifer Carlin, artist