Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲 by Zhejiang University

Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲 by Zhejiang University is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 玩具、遊戲及消閒產品設計 Competition Category.

銀玩具· 2023

Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲

by Zhejiang University

Client: Zhejiang University

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 玩具 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #149433

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲

Startracks係一款以星際探索為主題嘅兒童教育棋盤遊戲，透過遊戲教授基礎天文學同物理學知識。棋盤底下裝有銣磁石，模擬行星嘅引力作用，當細小嘅鐵製太空船降落時，就會被吸引到行星附近。玩家可以收集道具卡，卡上載有天文知識同相應嘅遊戲技能。遊戲由兩隊對戰，最先達成目標嘅隊伍獲勝。棋盤採用合成木製造，直徑為500毫米。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Startracks 教育棋盤遊戲是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This is a board-based matchmaking board game with STEAM properties based on the story of interstellar exploration. The main aim is to educate children in the science of astronomy. The board uses rubidium magnets to mimic the gravitational pull of the planets and the game content is supported by basic knowledge of astronomy. Through the exploration of the planets, children can enlighten their knowledge of astronomy, physics and chemistry.
Dimensions & Packaging: Board: the diameter is 500mm and the thickness is 20mm
Rubidium magnets: the diameter is 25mm and 20mm
Prop card: the lenth is 80mm and the width is 60mm
Tags: Children's educational toys, Astronomy education, Cosmic exploration, Magnetic games, Physics
Production Technology: The launch and landing of the ship is done by the magnetic attraction of the rubidium magnets at the bottom of the board, thus achieving the sensory effect of the planet's gravity. The planetary resources are presented as prop cards with different planetary knowledge content and the corresponding formed functions.
Board material: synthetic wood, rubidium magnets
Board production process: cutting, drilling and grinding on drill presses, board gluing
Prop materials: wood, plastic, iron
Prop production process: hand cutting, 3D printing
Prop card material: coated paper
Prop card production process: colour printing
Design Challenge: How do we make interstellar exploration more intuitive? We made clever use of magnetic fields for analogies to the gravitational magnetic fields of planets, and the game mechanics are two-player versus two-player, with most of the other time spent on two-player versus two-player game mechanics designed to ensure a balanced game.
Research: Type of study: STEAM educational games suitable for the developmental characteristics of children aged 7 to 12 years
Objective: To develop interest in learning astronomy and physics for children aged 7 to 12 years.
Methods: Child development psychology, game design, human-computer analysis, CMF analysis
Data collection: Play preferences of 7 to 12 year olds
Use of research tools: Rhinoceros 3D, KeyShot, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PhotoShop
Inspiration: STEAM education for children is gaining more and more attention. In the field of science education, the knowledge of the science section of products involving the knowledge of cosmic astronomy is weak and of a single type, which does not allow for systematic science education on astronomy knowledge. At present, there are fewer products in the market that involve knowledge of the cosmic planets and planetary resources, and all of them have weak playability and complicated technology.
Project Duration: The project starts in March 2022 and is due to be completed in June 2022 in Zhejiang, China.
Operation Flow: A team lands by launching a spaceship (iron blob) which is attracted by the gravitational pull of the planet (rubidium magnet magnet). Upon landing on a planet, they receive a prop card for that planet, which is marked with different astronomical and physical knowledge and the corresponding game skills. The game is played on both sides by activating the skills on the cards, and the first one to achieve their goal wins the game.
Team Members: Leijing Zhou
Rui Lei
Yi Chen
Zhengtong Wu
Shaogeng Zeng
Minghong Xu
Yunnong Chen
Image Credits: Rui Lei
Yi Chen
Zhengtong Wu
Shaogeng Zeng