Discover Europe details¶

Content¶

Words¶

We start from all the words of the Learning Language Module.

Words are presented by Living Letters (LL) that speak the words when interacted with and are evidenced in the dialogs. This reinforces language learning in a fun, contextual way.

Words database

The current list of all words in the game

Cards¶

At the heart of each quest are Cards, which represent an "atom of knowledge" like facts, people, places, objects, traditions, foods, fauna, and flora.

Each card:

has a title and a simple description
has at least one images and can have sounds
is located in space (in a city, for example) and time (allowing country timelines)
remain hidden until discovered and unlocked in quests
is always accessible from the player's Book.

Each card is of one Type, like:

Place (WHERE) - Cities, rivers, mountains, landmarks
Event (WHEN) - Historical events, holidays, festivals
Person (WHO) - Historical figures, teachers, friends
Object (WHAT) - Items to interact with or collect
Concept (THINK) - Abstract ideas (friendship, safety, peace)
Activity (DO) - Games, cooking, sports

and is linked to One or more Subject:

Core subjects:

Art - making and creating
Culture - how people live
Geography - where things are
History
Literature - stories and books
Math - numbers and logic
Science - how things work
Technology - applied science

Additional subjects:

Animal
Food
Music
Plant
Recreation - leisure & hobbies: dance, crafts, hiking, games
Space
Sport
Transportation - cars, planes, boats
Weather

Social and practical life:

Civics - basic government and citizenship
Community - when people organize and help each other locally
Education - schools
Environment - caring for nature
Family
Friendship - important social concept
Health - medicine, hospitals
Money - basic financial literacy
Safety
Time - understanding clocks/calendars

Cards database

The current list of all cards in the game

Topics¶

Topics are defined by educators by connecting a set of cards, defining the relationships and forming a visible knowledge graph.

These graphs are the core of the didactical activities. They are easy to explore and understand: kids can review how cultural elements relate, and quests and activities can run on them.

These are the kind of connections currently available in the game:

mindmap
root((Topic))
    CreatedBy("**Created By**: agent (person/org) who made/discovered/commissioned") 
    LocatedIn("**Located In**: where it is/was") 
    IsA("**Is A**: type/category relation (_Baguette is a Bread_)") 
    PartOf("**Part Of**: whole/part relation (_Crust is part of Baguette_)") 
    MadeOf(**Made Of**: physical composition) 
    TimeContext("**Time Context**: period/event/date") 
    CulturalContext("**Cultural Context**: origin/tradition/symbolism") 
    Causal("**Causal**: clear cause→effect") 
    Purpose("**Purpose**: used for…") 
    Compare("**Compare**: similar/contrast/analogy") 
    RelatedTo("**Related To**")

Topics database

The current list of all topics in the game

Quests¶

Quests are short (5–15 minutes) adventures focusing on cultural or educational themes, usually 1–2 topics.

Each quest combines:

exploration of authentic places
meeting characters
solving puzzles and mini-games
collecting cultural elements (Cards)
Two play levels:
- The first run exposes essential content only.
- Replay enables extra tasks, hidden items, and special card fragments to unlock a final gem.

Story and Gameplay¶

Each quest is a different story and can have different challenges, like:

Hidden Objects: find items with hints from NPCs/signs
Collection: gather all items (math reinforcement)
Physical puzzles: mazes, spatial tasks
Story-driven: linear narrative quests with narrator
Cultural quizzes: NPCs asking about discovered items
Mini-games: crafts, sports, or cultural practices

Characters¶

Living Letters (LL) Are the main companions known in the Learning Language modules. They tie words to NPCs. They can represent:

a letter (small LL)
a word with its drawing (normal LL)
a card (image or sounds)

Blocky Characters Humanoid / Minecraft‑like characters.

Ambient NPCs Pigeons, cats, dogs, cars, trains, birds (AI‑driven).

Tasks¶

"What do I have to do?" is simplified with Tasks. When talking to characters the player is given objectives to accomplish, like

collect items (collect all ingredients for a recipe)
reach a position (climb Mont Blanc or the Eiffel Tower)
trigger an action (lower the castle's bridge)

Progress system¶

Quests end with 1–3 stars depending on errors.
Bonus/malus events affect progress.

Special Cards¶

Replaying quests may reveal fragments of special cards, leading to the final gem of the quest.

Once mastered, repeating gives cookies but not gems.

Activities¶

Activities can be embedded in quests or played separately from the Book and deal with topics.

Note

One of the new features of our framework is that these activities can be asked to reinforce a topic, and automatically fetch cards to be played.

Order: put elements in sequence
Piano: repeat melodies/colors
Canvas: clean to reveal images
Money: count coins and notes
Jigsaw Puzzle: cultural images
Memory: card matching
Quiz: text, image, or mixed answers
Final Assessments: formal checks after quests

Explore all activities: Activities overview.

Languages¶

All dialogues are bilingual: the child’s native language + the host country’s language (e.g., Polish, French). This makes it easier for children to follow the story while learning new words and phrases.

By default the game speaks the learning language first, then the native language, but a teacher can choose the inverse if it's better for the child.

Difficulty levels¶

All gameplay and content is classified in three difficulty levels:

Easy
Normal
Expert

Teachers can adjust difficulty in the Teacher Panel to adapt timing, hints, and challenge density to the learner’s level. Some quests also unlock extra optional tasks on replay for advanced learners.

Locations¶

Each quest is located in a specific location (usually a city or a part of a city) selectable in the worl map. They are build with two methodologies:

Abstract art
Designers build generic environment using common 3D models. Good for common topics that are not aboslutely linked to a geographic position.
Realistic maps
The city are build starting from a realisti map (from OpenStreetMap), with defined GPS coordinates and orientation. This scenarios are best for real "urban" quests where orientation matters.

Gameplay¶

Entry point to explore world, countries, and quests.
Access to the Book (review knowledge) and the Store (customization).

Dependencies
Quests can require prior quests as knowledge prerequisites.

Map and target points¶

Map button shows your position and the main objective.
A target marker points to the next goal; hints appear when objectives change.
Optional tasks and hidden items may appear as extra icons.

Interactions and inventory¶

Interactions: Talk, Inspect, Collect, Use.
Inventory: up to 5 slots; items auto‑use when needed and disappear after use.

Modes (Classroom vs Home)¶

In Classroom Mode the focus on one country/topic and quests freely selectable within it.
Home Mode: all countries selectable and quests are typically unlock sequentially for exploration.

Accessibility¶

Subtitles and icon prompts support early readers and multilingual play.
Classroom mode reduces noise
All sentences are spoken in all languages
We use and color and shape and sound marks

Devices and controls¶

Works with keyboard/mouse and touch. See How to Play for controls, map, interactions, and the activities gallery.

Motivation and rewards¶

Knowledge cards = collected evidence of learning.
Gems = unlock advanced quests and some props.
Cookies = customize the character and space.
Stars = motivate to complete and replay.
Achievements = long‑term goals and fun challenges.

Currencies¶

Cookies (fish) = found in quests; they regenerate over time.
Knowledge Gems (neurons) = mastery rewards for completing tasks and unlocking cards; represent the real learning progress.
XP Points = experience accumulated by playing; used for progression.

Store / Cat customization¶

Use cookies to buy skins and props for the cat.
Some props unlock only after achieving certain gems or cards.

Achievements¶

Global and local achievements encourage replay and engagement.
Examples:

Collect all cards
Buy cosmetics for the cat
Finish all quests
Mastery goals (finish with 3 stars everywhere)
Fun goals (jump 1000 times, sprint 60s, talk to everyone)

Bonus/malus system¶

Reinforces good citizenship and cultural awareness by rewarding some actions.

Bonus examples: talking to NPCs, respecting traffic lights, collecting rubbish.
Malus examples: crossing on red, damaging property, stepping on flowers.

These actions are logged in the Book as part of reflection on behavior.

Teacher and parent tools¶

Teacher panel¶

create a class and add players
for each player, adjust difficulty, choose language mode, and monitor quests and achievements

The Book¶

Reviews all collected knowledge.
Shows all discovered and undiscovered cards, gems, and achievements. Acts as a review tool for classroom or home learning.

Website¶

Shows topics, cards, and activities covered in a session.

Classroom integration¶

After a quest, teachers can:

Rebuild the knowledge graph with students.
Extend it with new ideas or student contributions.
Retell the quest in class.
Compare with real‑life resources (maps, books, visits).

Example debrief (10 minutes):

Ask: “Which card did you unlock? What does it connect to?”
On the board, draw “Baguette → Bread → French food” and invite students to add related ideas.
Quick pair‑share: each student explains one new word and where it appeared.

Analytics¶