Learning ... it’s child’s play!

Think about how much efforts it takes to tackle tests and homework in secondary school.

This is especially true for students with specific learning difficulties who, after collecting bad grades and possibly experiencing these as personal defeats, may give up studying and lose out on their dreams and aspirations.

We believe we can support young people to reach their potential and rediscover the pleasure of learning in all settings, including at school.

To this purpose, we have created a digital game, Eye-Riders, a space exploration game, aims at improving young people’s study strategies through a better management of their attention span.

We are seeking your support to finalise and implement the project. 

Our project: EYE-RIDERS

Eye-Riders comprises of rehabilitative exercises to enhance attention span, to improve focus and to develop problem-solving strategies and achieve goals.

Why focusing on attention, you may wonder? Because we know that focus can often be a big challenge for some young people and because attentional skills are crucial to promote learning in all school subjects.

But what exactly characterizes our approach? First of all, each child is recognized as unique and valued for their skills and characteristics, and thus they are the protagonist of their own growth process! In addition, each intervention is mediated by the game, which makes even the most difficult challenges fun. Our mission is to create a game in which children are the leading party in determining the graphics and game design.

Eleven adolescents with specific learning disorders have already used the Eye-Riders first prototype that was created at SPEV, our clinical service of the Department of Psychology at the University of Bologna, where our idea came from. Feedback was given on how to improve the game. So we are ready to improve it, and to finalize our project, we need your support!

How will we accomplish our project?

We are seeking funds to incorporate the children’s suggestions into the game. You have the opportunity to make a difference and support us in being able to include what is missing in Eye-Riders.

The first target we have set is 6.000 Euros. This amount will allow us to consult a graphic designer experienced in gamification to complete the project in line with the young people’s suggestions.

The second target is set at 4.000 Euros. This will allow us to purchase new graphics, animation and music assets to make the game more engaging, in line with the young people’s suggestions.

The reason for such an ambitious project

Our mission can be described in two words: development and play.

Hence our name: Develop-Players!

We believe that, through playing, the development and growth of students can be achieved at its best. Our games not only foster the development of cognitive strategies, but also teach to follow guidelines and to set goals to achieve. Gamers will learn to manage their frustrations during setbacks and to enhance their potential. To aid this process, the game will also feature moment of reflections on thoughts, emotions and desires.

By creating tailor-made games, we want young people to rediscover their desire to learn.

Why and how to support us

A small contribution can allow us to build the new prototype of the game and point us in the right direction.

Every donation is fundamental and can help us carry out an important project for society, aimed at improving the possibilities of growth for students who struggle in school.

We encourage and welcome comments on why you choose to sustain our project, so that also other people can understand its relevance.

A new learning approach based on gameplay, entertainment and personal involvement, will allow us, together, to support young people to reach their potential by capitalizing on their strengths.

Who we are: a life dedicated to playing and learning

We are a group of professionals with a special interest in the role of playing, learning, and video games and how these can come together to support development. Some of us have been working with children with learning disabilities for more than twenty years, either through research or clinical work. The years of experience and the realization of the importance of developing instruments closer to the world and communication styles of young people prompted the development of the present project, which happened in conjunction with computer scientists and gamification enthusiasts.

That's how Develop-Players was born, a spinoff of the University of Bologna in which psychologists, a speech therapist, computer experts in gamification, and economists collaborate.

To let you discover our journey, we would like to show you some pictures of our activities.

Our first educational game experience dates back to 2012 and consisted in the creation of a short film made by children with learning disabilities. Through the story of a penguin, they described their difficulties but also the energy they brought every day to overcome them.

Some years later, we created a board game, called "DSA in play", which allows kids to narrate how they feel in relation to their school-related problems.

This year we have succeeded in developing our first digital game, Proffilo, a game specifically designed for schools. The game requires specific training -which is provided to schools- to enhance teaching techniques for young people who present with Specific Learning Disorders or with Special Educational Needs.  The goal of Proffilo is to support teachers to fully understand students’ potential. Proffilo supports teachers to recognize children's strengths and weaknesses and better structure the daily teaching activities.

...But that's not all: from these experiences and with your help we would like to do more!

We intend to create more games for our kids. More specifically, we wish to create games where young people are the protagonists.     We want them increasingly more involved in creating  the games themselves!