At Home Resources
The Pack
An Open-World Game Exploring Problem-Solving with Algorithms
Welcome to Algos, a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered, water and food are scarce, and it’s up to you and your Pack to help restore balance to the environment!
You find yourself waking up in a barren land where the only way to bring balanced life back is to replenish water sources and find varied seeds that are scattered all over the world. You can’t do it alone, and can’t stray too far from water, so you and a “Pack” of helpful creatures set out an algorithmic adventure across Algos to solve increasingly complex problems.
The Pack is an all-ages game inspired by NYSCI’s groundbreaking Connected Worlds exhibit and was created by NYSCI and Design I/O.
The Pack program was supported by the US Department of Education (Award No. U411C190044), the National Science Foundation (Award No. 1543144), and the JPB Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the aforementioned funders.
Play the Pack
Embark on an open-ended quest to find food and water by using your “Pack” – creatures that have unique functions like digging, moving, grabbing and repeating. Combine your creatures into computational sequences called algorithms to help you perform tasks. Solve increasingly challenging problems by creating more complex algorithms as you advance in the game. Learning and mastering how to use these algorithms is key to restoring harmony to Alg
Game Resources
Need some tips and tricks on how to play the Pack? Download the Game Guide to help you in your journey throughout Algos. Use it to learn more about the creatures you will befriend and their functions, and gain insight into game elements such as the habitats throughout Algos and where to find each creature’s favorite food.
Educator Resources
Use the Activity Guide to encourage learners to reflect on their gameplay through the lens of computational thinking and to explore how solving problems in the game connects to the ways they can solve problems in class and beyond. The supplemental activities can be implemented in a classroom, as part of an after-school program, or even as an activity for families to do together at home.
Pilot the beta educator orientation modules to get onboarded to the game. Use the module and teacher use cases to learn how other educators supported student learning and discourse around foundational computational thinking concepts with the Pack.
Research and Development
NYSCI received a grant from the United States Department of Education to continue to develop the Pack game and supplemental resources, and study its effectiveness in helping students explore computational thinking concepts. Ongoing feedback from students, teachers, and museum visitors was a critical part of this process.
