Word Building with Wally the Wizard is a phonics and word building game aimed at four to six-year-old children consolidating their knowledge of alphabet letters and the sounds they make. It begins by focusing on the initial sounds of words and then moves on to onset and rime of small cvc words. As Campbell (2016, p.10) notes “phonics knowledge is one of the predictors of later reading success”, she also recommends that educators focus on rhyme as larger units of sound, to assist children’s phonological awareness. This is also recommended by Carnine et al., (2006, p.36) as blending sounds along with segmenting are “identified as most critical” of phonemic awareness skills.

The order of the introduction of each letter is considered and aligns with the synthetic phonics program ‘Jolly Phonics’. The first group of letters (s, a, t, p, i, n) to be introduced are specifically chosen as when combined, make more simple three-letter words than any other six letters (“Jolly Phonics and Grammar,” n.d., p. 3).

The objective of Word Building with Wally the Wizard is to get Wally home to his castle. In order to complete this mission, players move through levels where they are asked to identify the initial sounds of words and then work on rhyming words, consolidating their knowledge of onset and rime. This is the quest and having the narrative of a quest is a general characteristic of game play (St-Pierre, 2011, p.77).

The game starts with a verbal command, necessary for beginning readers, that invites players to enter Wally’s world. The player is then given another verbal command that tells them to click on an object for instruction. There is also text that provides the same information. Gee (2007, pp. 37-38) refers to this as “just in time” or “on demand” information. He notes that humans are not adept at receiving a lot of verbal information at one time, and that it should only be given when required. It should be noted that a written set of instructions in the form a manual is not appropriate for the age group for whom the game is designed.

The players move through six levels, where they practise their ability to identify initial sounds. Players are presented with multiple choice answers that encourages them to be risk takers, knowing that one of the four choices is correct, and therefore giving them a feeling of security. It allows the players to use a “trial and error principle” (van Meegen & Limpens, 2010, p. 274). The goal is clear, choose the correct letter, and feedback is given immediately when the players is either congratulated on their correct choice, or asked to choose again. The use of multiple choice means that players do not have to use a “constructed response” (Beserra et al, 2017, p. 719 ) which takes more time and could consequently disrupt the flow of the game. Flow in the process of playing a game is positive for the player and aids in remembering the objective of the game when positive reinforcement given to correct answers. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1988, p. 34)

The points system is also designed in a way where the player feels success. If a player makes three incorrect choices and the correct on the fourth, they are still awarded points for that level. The points are displayed on the lower left of the screen and the player is able to watch their score growing higher with each level.

After the first six levels practising the initial sounds the prototype moves to the onset and rime component. The first four onset and rime levels rely on only the initial sound, but are focusing on words with the same rime. In the full version of the game there would be many more levels of different onset and rime before moving to the next six letters as outlined in the ‘Jolly Phonics’ program. The prototype has moved onto the next set of letters after only one experience of blending rhyming cvc words.

After the player has completed ten levels the game switches to a screen where Wally is moving through the forest, how far Wally moves depends on how many points the player has accumulated during the previous ten levels. The player is also given a verbal affirmation encouraging them to continue in their quest. The player then returns to the either an initial sound level or onset and rime level, depending on their progress.

Word Building with Wally the Wizard is a ‘drill and practice’ game often given the label of ‘edutainment’, but as Markey et al (2011, p.48) state “when carefully implemented and grounded in learning principles, games still hold the potential of creating new educational environments.” Games motivate learners, just by being games as they encourage players with a mix of appropriate challenge, if chosen carefully, fantasy of different characters and worlds, and curiosity to find out what the game has install for the player in the next level. (Ivacovides et al, 2014, p.613)

References

Beserra, V., Nussbaum, M. & Grass, A. (2017). Using a fine-grained multiple-choice response format in educational drill-and-practice video games. Interactive learning environments, 25(6), 717-732. https://doi-org.exproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/10494820.2016.1172244

Campbell, S. (2016). Playing with phonics. Every Child, 22(4), 10-11.

Carnine, D., Silber, J., Kame’enui, E. J., Tarver, S. G. & Jungjohann, K. (2006). Teaching struggling and at-risk readers: a direct instruction approach. Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall

Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Csikszentmihalyi. I. S. (Eds.). (1988). Optimal experiences: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge University Press.

Gee, J. P. (2007). Good video games + good learning: collected essays on video games, learning and literacy. Peter Lang.

Jolly and Phonics and Grammar: Parent/Teacher Guide. (n.d.) https://jolly2.s3.amazonaws.com/Catalogues%20and%20Guide/Parent%20Teacher%20Guide.pdf

Iacovides, I., McAndrew, P., Scanlon, E. & Aczel, J. (2014). The gaming involvement and informal learning framework. Simulation and Gaming, 45(4-5), 611-626. http://doi:10.1177/1046878114554191

Markey, K., Leeder, C. & St. Jean, B. (2011). Students’ behaviour playing an online information literacy game. Journal of Information Literacy, 5(2), 46-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.11645/5.2.1637

St-Pierre, R. (2011). Learning with video games. In P. Felicia (Ed.), Handbook of research on improving learning and motivation through educational games: Multidisciplinary approaches (pp. 74-96). Hersey. https://doi:10.4018/978-1-60960-495-0.ch004

van Meegen, A. & Limpens, I. (2010). How serious do we need to be? Improving information literacy skills through gaming and interactive elements. Liber Quarterly, 20(2), 270-288.

An alternative link to Welcome to Word Building with Wally the Wizard! https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/386713333