Games+Learning+Society 12 Conference

MazeStar is a platform developed as part of a National Science Foundation-funded project researching effective uses of virtual identities in STEM learning environments. Contained in MazeStar is both a game (Mazzy) and an editor. In Mazzy, players solve maze-like levels by creating short computer programs. As levels become increasingly complex, players learn fundamental computing concepts such as code blocks, procedural thinking, looping, conditional statements, etc. In the level editor, players create custom maps with a high degree of customizability in terms of map size, map layout, and artwork. Mazzy has been used as a testbed for studying virtual identity in a STEM learning environment (Kao & Harrell, 2015a-e; 2016a-c), while the addition of the level editor will allow us to take new directions as we begin studying intersections of virtual identity, social identity, and education in the context of game play as game creation.