Feed the Fidgits

WGBH for PBS Kids, 2017

Emmy nomination for Interactive Media

Challenge
PBS Kids' Design Squad needed an educational game teaching systems thinking and engineering processes to ages 8-12 through open-ended experimentation. The goal was creating puzzles where players could fail safely and learn through feedback rather than prescribed solutions, using digestible mechanical variables in a novel hydroponic farming game.

Approach
I designed and prototyped a simplified hydroponic system with three core variables—plants, fish, and water supply—that players balanced through drag-and-drop pipe construction. The key technical challenge was building a feedback system that diagnosed failure conditions by severity and frequency, providing relevant hints without spelling out solutions. Multiple prototypes were playtested with the target age group to validate that simplified mechanics gelled better than complex simulation.

Solution
The shipped game featured adaptive feedback that led with the most severe failure condition and prioritized repeated mistakes, encouraging iterative problem-solving. Post-gameplay assessments confirmed players retained knowledge of system relationships and troubleshooting strategies more effectively than when given explicit answers or no feedback. The game became part of Design Squad's interactive suite, which received an Emmy nomination for Interactive Media.

Park Builder

Cloudkid for PBS Kids, 2015

Park simulator teaching ecology and seasonal systems. Implemented world navigation, seasonal environment transitions, and A* pathfinding with object avoidance for NPC characters. Built save/load system for player-designed gardens.

Play Park Builder!

PBS Kids Measure Up!

Cloudkid for PBS Kids, 2015

Programmed a dozen activities for the PBS app,  Measure Up!  and established templates for re-use with similarly structured activities, used in both Measure Up! and other PBS projects.

Sesame Street Playdates

Cloudkid for Sesame Street, 2015

Series of mini-games created for the relaunch of the Sesame Street website. The idea was to allow the player to go on "playdates" with characters living in the Sesame Street "Street View". Players could draw with Elmo, make soup with Oscar, and many more.