enLIGHTen: Learn the Art of Learning
enLIGHTen is a puzzle game that will guide you on a journey to learn how you learn. Each puzzle requires turning off a 5x5 grid of light switches. The twist is each light switch also toggles its neighbors. In zen fashion, you will find yourself reflected in the simplicity of puzzle-solving.
Playing enLIGHTen is a mix between a traditional puzzle video game and a lecture-based webinar. The lectures cover learning concepts and unlock tools so you can apply the concepts to your puzzle-solving. The puzzles provide a clear way for you to measure your understanding. The lecture and puzzle elements are designed to work together, back and forth, but you are free to focus on whichever part of the game you want. No matter your experience or skill level you will become stuck. It is here, when things are at their darkest, that enLIGHTen really shines.
Creator: Richard (KirbyKid) Terrell
Why Learning?
Learning is essential for our existence. Everyone must find a way to exist within the universe, laws and all. We do so by leveraging our understanding of the world, science, nature, people, societies, etc. Understanding allows us to make informed decisions that not only help us survive, but they allow us to make art, entertain, and spread ideas. Everything that you do in life is made possible by taking the vast universe and putting it inside of our tiny minds. This is learning.
Playing enLIGHTen is a self-reflective experience where you observe your mind, turning an inward eye to the very tool you use to filter the universe. This kind of self reflection is rarely done in life. By improving how we learn we improve the little universe inside our minds. enLIGHTen guides the player on a learning experience through gameplay challenges and conceptual lectures.
enLIGHTenment is a title given to players who complete the ~30 lectures on learning how to learn. Mastery is the title given to players who use their improved learning ability to excel in the gameplay challenges. Current masters: 11 (Richard Terrell, Marcus Terrell, Firecakes, Akamarak, Harbrus, Krystal, Hayden, Creikey, NFT Jeff, Tony, JessOnCanvas)
How You Fit In
enLIGHTen is also a research project. Each player's play experience is recorded as game stats. This includes how much time they spend in each mode, where they get stuck, and how their skills build over time. All the player data is stored on the cloud server where it can be analyzed. This data helps improve the design of enLIGHTen. Every player is helping improve the learning experience for future players.
- Created by: Richard (@KirbyKid) Terrell
- Email: richard@designoriented.net
- You can email me your feedback or leave it in the #enLIGLHTen_feedback channel on the Design Oriented Discord. Feel free to record or stream your gameplay and send me the video link.
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Full Walkthrough (Spoiler Warning)
Key Features Include...
- A robust, challenging puzzle mode featuring 100 levels.
- Tests the player's mastery through a quantifiable rubric.
- Innovative and experimental learning tools to enhance standard gameplay.
- Level creator and other customization options.
- Advanced data filters to aid in boosting curiosity and data analysis.
- Lectures presentations (audio + slides) to thoroughly teach a new learning model.
- Quizzes to stimulate curiosity.
- Social features to stimulate growth by sharing progress and ideas with friends.
- Ultra detailed stat tracking so insights about effective learning strategies can be extrapolated.
- Online cloud saves.
- A visual scripting system to create macros/AI to solve puzzles.
- An adaptive AI that learns the player's puzzle solving style.
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Quotes
"I think [enlighten] more than any other game really brings ... out [the experience of being forced to reorganize after one's knowledge COLLAPSES.] [enlighten gets] people to solve earlier puzzles perfectly [which helps Overcome] that pain as opposed to hitting a wall of pain." "STILL LOVE THAT GAME. SO MANY GREAT IDEAS." — BRIAN "SQUIRREL" EISERLOH.
"[MY 4 YEAR OLD SON] ASKS TO PLAY THE 'LIGHTS GAME' A LOT NOW. IT'S ONE OF HIS FAVES" — TRAVIS CLARK
"I'm someone who loves puzzle games ...and [enLIGHTen] is the first puzzle game...that once I beat it I felt like I had learned how to play it properly. I really felt like I had earned the name of 'Mastery'. I've never felt so satisfied finishing a puzzle game. It is wonderful!" — Krystal Hill
"Enlightenment has opened my mind on my shortcomings... that held me back while learning....The game is really good at letting you process all of this while silently guiding you through this journey... [enlighten] will become a great game/application to be used in other contexts other than this puzzle game... I wish I could use [enLighten] for anything I want to learn in my life." — Andrea Ortino
"...[enlighten] went so far beyond just giving you learning advice. Making the advice and the system tangible and then going through the process... charting your progress, comparing yourself with others via the friend feature made it much more powerful and effective in changing how I approach learning." — Fernando Zapada
"[enlighten is] a game where you're loosely guided towards the end goals of mastery and enLIGHTenment, so a lot of intrinsic motivation is needed to understand what the game is trying to teach. [after reaching mastery] I can understand better how learning...works, which is something applicable to basically everything. I recall going back to my old math notes and using [new learning] methods to complete some problems [that had stumped me previously]." — Firecakes
"I never reached mastery, but reaching enlightenment in the game helped me realize a lot about my bad habits. ... but I celebrate the smaller victories. Now I write more notes in general..." — Anthony Navaro
"Putting time into enLIGHTen has helped me examine and improve my learning habits. I've gotten better at recognizing when an approach I'm taking isn't paying off and when I need to change gears or take a break. I'm also getting better at paying attention to important details and taking notes in a variety of areas. Overall my learning practices are becoming more organized and efficient... the effort I've put into enLIGHTen has been beneficial and will continue to pay off going forward." — Mark Hill
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