Bright Little Labs wanted to launch a kids’ app that could act as a hub where all the little agents across the world could go to train their skills and complete urgent missions as requested by the CIA.
Digital Game App Design: CIA Spy Hub
The Client
Bright Little Labs creates big stories to inspire little people. They produce books, cartoons, apps and games that teach kids aged 3-11 about coding, critical thinking and how to stay safe online. They craft stories that inspire children to aim high, ask questions and use technology as a force for good. Their characters represent children from a range of ethnicities, backgrounds and life experiences. The company combines dreams, big ideas and puzzling questions into twist-y, turn-y STEM-themed adventures that teach kids the foundational skills of computer science.
The Problem
The objective of the users in the app would be to reach the top rank in the agency allowing them access protected super secret gadgets and documents. To reach the top rank users must complete games and missions.
The story in the app is designed to make the CIA feel like a real network of undercover child agents and so missions must feel realistic and follow the story line.
In this project I was Lead Game Designer and designed all in-app games and missions.
The main challenge was to create games aligned with the story line and with virtually infinite levels that would not require detailed level design due to the small team capacity. All the games had to be easy to implement and grow in difficult through a certain degree of randomisation.
The missions on the other hand were all designed to be a one-of event and thus allowed for a more detailed narrative.
The app can be found on Google Play or Apple Store
Here you can find another educational game for children I designed.
