Sprite’s Quest: The Lost Feathers is the first of two 2D platformer games developed to introduce 7th and 8th graders to various concepts of physical and human geography. The game starts when a goose crashes into a cloud during a snowstorm and wakes up a water sprite. The sprite agrees to descend onto Earth to find and return the goose’s missing feathers, without which the goose cannot return home.
Students are taken to six different geographic locations re-imagined as 2D game terrain. Map and graph literacy questions, facts, and item collection create moments of explicit learning; the gaming component lets players move the sprite, jump, and use water powers and state change to alter the terrain and/or move forward in their quest. The intent is for students to gain experience with geographical features and relationships of real-world locations.