Python Impact_Prologue 1.1

Taking Python Impact: Prologue as an example, this RPG game is designed based on the scenario that protagonist, a college freshman from UC, Irvine without any programming experience stepping into the world of Python by accident, now his/her goal is to explore the continents and search for seven keys from the legend. When the seven keys are found and embedded into the slates on the Mountain of Chirekan, the gate to the underworld will open. The protagonist needs to defeat the Lord of Shadow (final Boss) in order to save the world of Python and return to the original world.

At the beginning, instructors will introduce California undergraduate freshmen to play this game as the supplementary tool to help them review the contents in Week 0 in ICS 31 in order to prepare for the upcoming quiz. In this stage, goal of meeting the course requirement is the main factor that externally motivates students to keep playing this game. During the game playing, students will experience: 1) interacting with NPCs (Sager and Lucy) to know the plots of this game; 2) practicing the knowledge and contents learned from lectures by battling with the evil (guard of Abyss Cult) and 3) gaining lessons and support from NPCs when students make the wrong choices.

If students make wrong answers in battle, the NPC will firstly make encouragement and then open the tutorial file or video to allow them review in browser. Students can’t advance the story plots until they master the knowledge and concepts of Python by answering questions correctly in battles, so this rule can promise that students learn Python through this game. When California undergraduate freshmen pass Prologue’s test, they can unlock Chapter 1 and so on. After being able to apply all the knowledge and contents of Python covered in ICS 31 through the adventure in this game, the protagonist finally collects the 7 keys and open the gate to underworld. In the end, the protagonist defeats the Lord of Shadow which is designed as a review to prepare final exam and saves the world of Python.

According to the SDT model, California undergraduate freshmen are expected to show the effect of being motivated internally to learn Python after playing six chapters in Python Impact. The attractive story plots, exquisite game style and interesting gameplay can all work together to catalyze the process of transition from being extrinsically motivated to intrinsically motivated. This means that introjected regulation plays a role in students’ learning when students start being interested in Python through Python Impact, and California undergraduate freshmen are fully internally motivated to learn programming when they fall in love the way of coding and self-satisfaction is achieved.