Growth, Reproduction, and Environmental Stress

In an age where many students are hard-pressed to identify even the most common garden vegetables, relating complex concepts like photosynthesis and pollination to a middle school audience is no small task. Reach For the Sun aims to do just that by exposing students to a simplified model of a highly identifiable annual plant growing from seed to mature fruit-bearer over the course of a single growing season. In our presentation, we will explore the unexpected evolution of our game’s design in response to two starkly different play environments: a typical middle school classroom and Valve’s juggernaut release platform, Steam. While we have no hard data to present, we do offer engaging anecdotes that raise important questions about how player expectations and environment impact a game’s learning potential.