Released · 2022–2025
Coco Crunchers
A three-year educational platformer research project with measurable learning outcomes.
More repositories: CocoCrunchers · CocoCrunchersLLM
Genres — Educational · Platformer · Research
Built with — Python · pygame · pygame-ce · Tiled · OpenAI GPT-4o · Pygbag · Streamlit
The Pitch
Coco Crunchers evolved from a school game concept into a full research platform spanning three years of iteration, playtesting, and data collection. It explores how platformer design, embedded math challenges, and AI assistance can improve learning outcomes without sacrificing fun.
What I Built
- 3 skill-based levels covering wall jumping, enemy combat, and platform navigation
- Mathematical challenges integrated directly into progression and feedback loops
- Statistically significant learning improvement from 83% to 92.5% (p = 0.02459)
- 32 participants tested across ages 8–77 over three years
- GPT-4o-powered AI hint system added during the final research phase
- Web deployment pipeline using Pygbag after multiple framework experiments
- Built with pygame-ce and Tiled for iterative content design
The Story
The Beginning
What started as a simple educational game concept in 2022 turned into a long-form research project about how games teach, how players learn, and how AI can support learning without taking away the joy of discovery.
The Journey
Across three research phases, Coco Crunchers moved from classroom prototype to measured study. Each round of development refined the gameplay, the educational framing, and the deployment stack. The game’s evolution documents not just a product, but a sustained design process grounded in player behavior and test results.
Where It Stands
Today, Coco Crunchers stands as both a playable game and a research artifact. It demonstrates how design iteration, analytics, and educational intent can coexist inside one coherent project.
The complete three-year development timeline, research insights, and downloadable game live at CocoCrunchers.com.