Design a game

If you wish to create a classification game from scratch, you can select Design a Game from the Homepage.

By selecting this option, you will enter SorBET’s Design Mode, where you can find affordances for designing a classification game. The main tool is an interactive database for designing the game objects and categories, which is initially empty.

The columns correspond to the categories of the game, and the rows correspond to the objects to be classified in the game.

Figure 21: Interactive database in the Design Mode of SorBET

Adding, removing and renaming a category

The categories of the game are represented by the columns of the database.

Figure 22: The categories while designing a game

On the top right of Figure 22, the ⨉ means “add a new column to the table” (new category). Accordingly, the ⨉ means “remove the selected columns”. Select one or more columns by clicking on the white checkbox by their name.

Figure 23: Removing selected category while designing a game

You can change the name of a category by clicking on the name field of the column (e.g. “Field3”) and typing the name of the category you want (e.g. “summer”).

Adding, removing and modifying an object

The game’s objects are represented by the rows of the database.

Figure 24: The objects while designing a game

On the top left of Figure 24, the ⨉ means “add a new row to the table” (new object).

Accordingly, the ⨉ means “remove the selected rows”. To select one or more rows, click on the white checkbox next to their name.

Figure 25: Removing selected objects while designing a game

For defining the objects, there is the option to be simple text or image.

Figure 26: Available options for defining objects

By selecting the text option, you can fill in the textbox sometext with the word or sentence you wish to add as an object.

By selecting the image option, and secondly pressing Choose your device’s file management window appears, from which youcan select a specific image file that you wish to add as an object. Supports .jpg, .ico and .png file types

Note

The image should already be saved in your device.

Figure 27: “Choose” button in the “Image” object category

Next to each object there is an integer number field. This integer refers to the number of instances of each object that will appear during the game at a random time and order.

Figure 28: Modify an object’s number of instances

Assigning objects to categories

Once you have added the objects and categories as rows and columns, you have to choose which category each object corresponds to. You can choose from zero to all categories, depending on the type of game, by clicking on the corresponding checkbox that connects the column (category) to the row (object).

Note

The matching that is done at this stage of the game design is what will determine the correct classifications during gameplay.

Figure 29: Example of assigning objects to categories

Test and save the game

Once you complete the design of the game, you can either play it directly by clicking Play, or save it to your device as a .json file by clcking Download.

Figure 30: SORBET Edit environment showing “Play” & “Download” buttons

Before downloading, the system asks you to provide a name to the game you just designed.

Figure 31: Name-giving box

This way, the game you just designed will be stored locally on your device. To play it later at SorBET, follow the procedure described in Load your game.