Motivation:
There is a lot of discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its rapid growth. It’s both incredibly exciting and incredibly scary. Understandably, much of the discussion is rooted in the fear of AI and how it will impact us as a species. The best way to reduce fear is to increase understanding, so that more people can contribute to responsibly managing its trajectory.
I want my children to be more excited than fearful of AI as they grow up. I also want them to orient their intentions with AI to be cooperative, not combative. The best way I could think to do this was design a fun card game that helps teach the basics of programming and working with robots such that it emphasizes cooperation and alignment with AI for good.
Brief Overview
Nature Coders is a fun, story-driven card game that teaches children the basics of programming through an exciting nature-based adventure. It is perfect for ages 5+ and can be played with 2-4 players.
The game is called "Build with Bots: Nature Coders" and it takes place in a magical, computational forest where animals are trying to build their own homes. However, they need help from players who act as programmers, to write code to control the robots in the forest that will assist in the construction of their homes.
To play, players must take turns drawing cards that have different coding commands written on them, such as "move forward," "turn left," "turn right," "repeat," and "if/else" statements. Each player has a set of coding cards to build a program that controls their robot, which they will then execute by moving their robot through the forest to complete tasks, such as gathering resources or building animal homes.
The game includes different types of terrain cards that players will need to navigate, such as hills, rivers, and forests. The different terrains will present different challenges for players, such as obstacles or hazards that require specific coding commands to overcome.
As players progress through the game, they will encounter different animals who will provide them with tasks to complete, such as helping a bear build a treehouse or constructing a dam for a beaver. Each task completed will earn players points and resources that can be used to upgrade their robot or unlock new coding commands.
The game also includes a "Wild Card" option where players can design their own coding cards, allowing for a more creative approach to programming.
Coding Cards: