Core Skills Analysis
Mathematics
Toby designed a playable Geometry Dash level, applying spatial thinking to arrange platforms, obstacles, paths and timing-based challenges within a structured game environment. He worked with geometric ideas such as position, distance, direction, alignment and repetition, even though specific shapes or measurements were not described. By constructing a level for others to navigate, Toby practised planning relationships between objects and considering how movement through space would work.
Digital Technologies
Toby created an interactive digital product rather than merely consuming a game, developing an understanding of how designed elements combine to produce a user experience. He likely made choices about level layout, sequencing and challenge, then prepared the result for other people to play. This activity involved computational thinking through planning, testing and refining a sequence of actions, although the specific tools and revisions were not stated.
English
Toby communicated ideas through a playable multimodal text, using visual design, movement, sound and game structure instead of relying only on written language. He had to consider how clearly the level communicated its intended path and challenges to players. Creating something for an audience encouraged him to think about user perspective, clarity and engagement, although no written instructions or narrative were mentioned.
Design and Technologies
Toby followed a design process by producing an artefact with a specific purpose: a level that other people could play. He made creative decisions about how the experience should be organised and balanced, connecting aesthetic choices with function. The activity also provided an opportunity to evaluate whether the finished design was playable and enjoyable, though the description did not confirm whether he tested or modified it.
Tips
Tips: Invite Toby to sketch the level on grid paper before building it, labelling distances, repeated patterns and difficulty changes. He could then test the level with several players and collect feedback about clarity, fairness and enjoyment, recording changes in a simple design log. For a maths extension, he could calculate jump intervals or compare the spacing of obstacles; for an English extension, he could write a short creator statement explaining the level’s theme, design choices and intended player experience.
Book Recommendations
- Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding by Linda Liukas: A creative introduction to computational thinking, algorithms and problem-solving.
- The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell: A widely used game-design guide exploring player experience, rules, challenges and feedback.
- Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More by Dustin Hansen: An accessible history of video games and the design ideas behind influential games.
Learning Standards
- Australian Curriculum v9.0 Mathematics – AC9M6A02: Planning a level can support representing relationships, unknown quantities and design constraints using number sentences or variables, although the activity description does not confirm that Toby used formal algebra.
- Australian Curriculum v9.0 English – AC9E6LY01: Toby created a multimodal text for an audience and could analyse how visual, interactive and game features influence players.
- Australian Curriculum v9.0 Science – AC9S7U04: No direct match is established from the description; spatial reasoning is present, but Earth, Sun and Moon cycles were not involved.
- Australian Curriculum v9.0 HASS: No direct match is established from the description because history, geography, economics and civics content were not mentioned.
Try This Next
- Create a level-planning worksheet with boxes for theme, player goal, obstacle sequence, difficulty and testing notes.
- Ask: Which parts of the level repeat, and how could repetition help players predict what happens next?
- Draw a top-down map of the level and label positions, distances, hazards and safe zones.
- Run a player-feedback survey asking testers to rate clarity, challenge and enjoyment from 1 to 5.