NP students' projects aim to help wipe out bad public toilet habits
Can games improve responsibility for public toilet cleanliness?
Some Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) students are certainly hoping so.
In Wipe It!, players score points when they "clean off" virtual germs - shown on a separate screen - from a physical toilet seat.
Afterwards, they take back a printed receipt of their score, a handy reminder to keep public toilets clean.
Another game, Megaflush, sees players using arrow keys and other symbols to sort items into "flushables", such as toilet paper, and "non-flushables", such as plastic bags and cotton buds, on a computer screen.
The students programmed and developed the two toilet-centric games using Makey Makey, an electronic invention tool and toy that allows users to connect everyday objects to computer programs.
They did this as part of their final projects for their Integrated Digital Media (IDM) module.
The games will be part of the interactive exhibits in FMS Stories, a showcase organised and run by the graduating cohort of Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Film and Media Studies (FMS).
The exhibition is held at The Attic at the FMS building. It is open to the public and will run until this Sunday.
One of the students behind Wipe It!, Miss Sylvia Low, 19, told The New Paper: "We were able to marry education and gamification, which I found was very interesting."
She developed the game together with her coursemates, Mr Zhuo Yuanqin, 20,and Miss Ng Weng Yao, 20.
The module covers topics such as user-centered design, interactivity with Javascript, animation and physical computing.
Miss Low added: "We're trained in every aspect. Companies might expect a designer intern, but they'll be getting someone who can also be a marketeer and a copywriter."
Miss Shermaine Lim, 20, who created Megaflush with coursemates Tansy Richards, 20, and Melanie Koh, 20, echoed Miss Low's sentiments..
"My journey here has taught me to not just be a better student, but also a better team player and leader," Miss Lim added.
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