Cat Chase

Play the game!

I've been filling up the blog with my class notes from Learning Creative Learning, but an assignment from there really turned into a fun project.

In Week 6 we were supposed to remix Scratch projects from other users. I - of course - looked for math games. First I found 15 Seconds by jOHEEN_c which was an integer game. I wanted more leveling, so found Maze Levels 1-5 by Cats_Are_Awesome. I didn't wind up using their code, but I did learn a lot about Scratch by working through their programs.

I wanted the levels because increasing challenge is key to engagement. I have about 10 screens of increase, after which it levels out. The movement is a little challenging for me as an old guy: the cat follows the mouse instead of being controlled directly. The game forces you to add and subtract positive and negative, but gives you choices on how to get the target. I did add a restart button for if you got stuck that lets you proceed without having to play all the levels over. Is it a problem that the game never really forces an end by becoming impossible?

The game is on the Scratch website, where you can play it or download the code. (Scratch is free to download, of course.) All Scratch submissions are cc 3.0, which is very nice. (Direct link to video, made with Screenr.com.)
(You can embed the Scratch program directly in a webpage, but it starts immediately, which can be aggravating.)  I would be very interested in your feedback on the game, and delighted if you or your students would be interested in remixing it.

Music credit: Upbeat Ukelele Song by Akashic Records, via Jamendo.