''Star Wars: DroidWorks'' is a 1998
edutainment
Educational entertainment (also referred to as edutainment) is media designed to educate through entertainment. The term was used as early as 1954 by Walt Disney. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has incidental entertainment ...
computer game and the premiere title from
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
subsidiary
Lucas Learning
Lucas Learning was a company founded by George Lucas in 1996 as a spin-off to LucasArts in order to provide challenging, engaging and fun educational software for classrooms. Many of their award-winning titles were based on the national curriculum. ...
. It uses the same
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
as LucasArts' previous title
''Star Wars: Jedi Knight''. The creators aimed to create a game that would be both appealing and nonviolent. The game's original release date was moved up by months, which resulted in the development team cutting some planned game features.
The game's plot involves the player saving the galaxy by manufacturing droids with specific abilities, such as the ability to see in the dark or jump, to complete missions. The educational portions of these missions teach players about concepts such as
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
,
force
In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...
,
motion
In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and mea ...
,
simple machine
A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. Usually the term refer ...
s,
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...
, and
magnetism
Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that are mediated by a magnetic field, which refers to the capacity to induce attractive and repulsive phenomena in other entities. Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles ...
.
''Star Wars: DroidWorks'' received high praise from critics, sold well, and won numerous awards and accolades.
Plot and gameplay
C-3PO
C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to as ...
,
R2-D2
R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
, and the player are sent by the
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
to
Tatooine
Tatooine () is a fictional desert planet that appears in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It is a beige-colored, desolate world orbiting a pair of binary stars, and inhabited by human settlers and a variety of other life forms. The planet was first ...
to shut down production at an
Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
droid factory. In the tutorial, the player must complete eight training missions and four secret missions, each requiring droids with specific abilities, before proceeding to the droid factory. In the
Jawa Droid Workshop, players can paint and name their creations and get a full 360-degree view of other works in progress.
Overall, the player can choose from 87 droid parts, which can be combined in 25 million different combinations.
Through
experiential learning
Experiential learning (ExL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more narrowly defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students ...
, players learn about the scientific principles of energy, force, motion, simple machines, light, and magnetism.
Players are also encouraged to utilize mathematics, logic, and critical thinking.
An in-game 'InDex' provides explanations on various scientific concepts through internet links.
Development and release
Conception
The game was developed by
Lucas Learning
Lucas Learning was a company founded by George Lucas in 1996 as a spin-off to LucasArts in order to provide challenging, engaging and fun educational software for classrooms. Many of their award-winning titles were based on the national curriculum. ...
, which was originally created to produce consumer products but was re-imagined as a developer of direct-to-school products in the fall of 1998.
''Star Wars: DroidWorks'' was the first title from Lucas Learning and eventually became one of a series of ''Star Wars'' games to be released as edutainment titles.
This game marked George Lucas' first foray into the
edutainment
Educational entertainment (also referred to as edutainment) is media designed to educate through entertainment. The term was used as early as 1954 by Walt Disney. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has incidental entertainment ...
market.
Lucas' directive to the company was to design a game that would allow players to explore and create in a manner similar to playing with
Erector Set
Erector Set (trademark styled as "ERECTOR") was a brand of metal toy construction sets which were originally patented by Alfred Carlton Gilbert and first sold by his company, the Mysto Manufacturing Company of New Haven, Connecticut in 1913. In ...
s and
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
.
''DroidWorks'' was only one out of a total of 175 titles created by third-party software developers for the newly launched iMac. Susan Schilling, the general manager of Lucas Learning, and Clent Richardson, the senior director of worldwide developer relations at Apple Computer, agreed that the Apple Mac was the best platform for the game.
The game was initially conceived by project leader, Collette Michaud, who pitched a game where players could design their own Star Wars droid and watch them move.
As the game shifted toward an physics-based educational puzzle game mid-development, resources were redirected accordingly. Susan Schilling said that ''DroidWorks'' did not require the player to use bombs or guns, noting that the only weapon required is the player's mind.
The team made a concerted effort to make the game equally appealing to all children; recent research had shown that children liked interactive software and to "make their own story", so the team wanted the program to encourage learning about math, science, and computers.
It would be the player's decisions and curiosity that would ultimately lead to his or her success.
In a press release, Lucas Learning described ''DroidWorks'' as a "unique combination of construction set and strategy game". The development team consulted with both a kid advisory group and subject matter experts to make the game appealing to young players and scientifically accurate.
Design
The game uses audio tracks similar to those from the film series and includes clips from the original ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' trilogy.
It uses the same
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
engine as many other contemporary LucasArts' titles. The game was built using a modified version of the Sith game engine which was developed for LucasArts'
''Star Wars: Jedi Knight'', with changes to ensure that the physics engine would be realistic.
While the ''Star Wars'' universe was known for its combative atmosphere, the design team tried to incorporate minimal violence. This approach is visible in the ways players progress - rather than pitting the player's droid against enemies, the landscape itself becomes an obstacle passable to only certain droid types. This effectively prevents those who have not yet acquired the parts necessary to complete a level from doing so.
One of the removed features would have allowed players to place droid parts in locations other than where they were intended, for instance, an arm could be attached to a droid's head.
Release
While the developers planned a "luxurious" development schedule which would have culminated in the game's release in Christmas 1998, the marketing department thought the game should be released on Labor Day instead. This new deadline meant that various cuts had to be made to the design. A demo of the game premiered at the 1998
Macworld Expo
Macworld/iWorld was an information technology trade show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It was held annually in the United States during January. Originally ''Macworld Expo'' and then ''Macworld Conference & Expos ...
.
That June, ''The Washington Times'' reported that the game was scheduled for release (for both Macintosh and PC) in September.
Ultimately, the game missed the Labor Day deadline and was released on 21 October.
The game was directly made available to schools, along with other edutainment titles from Lucas Learning.
The game was marketed and packaged as an entertainment title, and was advertised in gaming magazines and Family PC.
The developers' original claim that the game blurred the line between entertainment and education presented difficulties for marketers as they had to decide whether to place the game on "game" or "education" shelves. In March 1999, the game was "currently available wherever software is sold".
By June, however, the game was noted as being sold at two-store specialty groups.
Fortunately, Lucas Arts' previous successes and association with the ''Star Wars'' title enabled ''DroidWorks'' to be distributed at retail stores, such as
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
and
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation (doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box retail stores (warehouse club). As of 2022, Costco i ...
.
Reception
Sandra Vogel of ''
The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'' noted that, while part of the game's success was due to its association with George Lucas, it had a "pedigree all its own", including a series of gaming awards.
''Multimedia Schools'' praised its user-friendliness, tutorials, replayability, and the ease of installation, giving the title 5 stars.
''
Computer Shopper'' noted that while the game was an exploitation of the Star Wars brand, it used the association to ensure the "productive" game received an audience. Similarly, ''
Daily Record'' wrote that the title was "yet another spin-off from the incredible marketing hype" of
the upcoming film, but praised the game for its imagination, magic, and 3D environments. ''
The Washington Times
''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...
'' thought the game would appeal to all fans of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
''Daily Herald'' said the game had a broader appeal than the computer-programming video game ''The Robot Club''.
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper brand ...
said the game offered an opportunity for parents and children to work together to build robots and solve missions, in a method similar to the tradition of building
Soap Box Derby
The Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program which has been run in the United States since 1933. World Championship finals are held each July at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio. Cars competing in this and related events are unpowered, ...
racers, and praised its slick graphics. ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' thought the game was a worthy piece of kidware. ''
Birmingham Evening Mail
The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire ...
'' praised the game's blend of fun and education. ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' thought it was a standout educational title. ''
Rocky Mountain News
The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As ...
'' complimented the game's ease of use, sense of humor, and surreptitious educational content.
''
KidsWorld
''KidsWorld'' is an English-language Canadian magazine aimed towards children aged twelve and under, published by MIR Communications Inc. The magazine features sections and articles such as movies, sports, hobbies, and role models. The magazine i ...
'' said the game was "slow and jerky" on a
133 Pentium, and recommended at least a 166 Pentium, or above. ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' gave the game 4/5 stars, writing as a minor criticism that, while the game features millions of possible robots, only a select few are useful in the game. ''
Boys' Life
''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
''Scout Life'' is pu ...
'' praised the educational content, but thought that some of the environments were creepy. ICR and Literacy included a transcript of three children playing the game, which demonstrated how one child was learning how to interpret the game's symbols and articulate herself. ''
PC Magazine
''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...
'' praised the game for its ability to make learning fun. ''Complete Sourcebook on Children's Software'' (1999, Vol. 7) gave it a rating of 4.5/5 stars. Lisa Karen Savignano of
AllGame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
wrote that the game successfully combined puzzle solving, education and action into an enjoyable title. SuperKids offered a rave review, deeming the program both "intellectually stimulating" and "viscerally captivating", noting that their playtests had brought out a rare "curiosity-driven patience and tenacity" in the young gamers. ''
PC Accelerator
''PC Accelerator'' (''PCXL'') was an American personal computer game magazine that was published by Imagine Media (currently a subsidiary of Future plc). It was known for its ''Maxim''-like humor and photography.
History and profile
''PC Accelera ...
'' thought the game proved that "educational game" was an oxymoron and suggested that people would have been more interested in prequel games.
The game was included in
National Association for Gifted Children
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
magazine's ''Parenting for High Potential'' 1999 list of favorite holiday educational toys, and commented that the game sufficiently challenges young players. In January, ''Software Industry Report'' noted that the game was a popular title on the Mac. ''
Playthings'', in June, noted that the PC game was selling "robustly" at $30.
Awards and accolades
From October 1998 to March 1999, the game received seven awards, including the
BAFTA Interactive Entertainment award and two New Media Invision awards, and was "singled out by several prominent educational software newsletters, magazines and Web sites".
By May 1999, the game had received two more awards. The game was the highest-rated science software title from 1999 to 2000. While noting that they had previously never considered including educational software in their list, the game was featured in ''Parenting for High Potential''.
, -
, November 1998
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Award: Children's Category
,
, -
, December 1998
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, SuperKids Software Award for Best of 1998: Best in Science
,
, -
, December 1998
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, BrainPlay.com Award for Best Software of 1998: Best Game
,
, -
, December 1998
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, Games Industry News award for Educational Game of the Year 1998
,
, -
, Winter 1998–99
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, Choosing Children's Software Magazine: Best Picks for the Holidays
,
, -
, December 1998
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, New Media INVISION Award: Award of Excellence
,
, -
, December 1998
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, New Media INVISION Award – Gold: Children/Young Adult
,
, -
, March 1999
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, CODIE Award for Children's Educational Game of 1998
,
, -
, 1999
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, Codie award for Best New Home Education For Pre-Teens
,
, -
, 1999
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, The Computer Museum of Boston's pick for Best Software for Kids Gallery for the 1998–99 holiday season
,
, -
, August 1999
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, Technology & Learning Magazine: 1999–2000 Software Awards of Excellence
,
, -
, August 1999
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development – Only the Best: The Annual Guide to the Highest-Rated Educational Software and Multimedia
,
, -
, September 1999
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, The National Association for Gifted Children - Parenting for High Potential: 1999 Holiday Educational Toy List
,
, -
, October 2001
, ''Star Wars DroidWorks''
, Learning Magazine 2002 Teachers' Choice Award
,
References
External links
Droidworks homepagePostmortem of the game
{{Star Wars games
1998 video games
Children's educational video games
Classic Mac OS games
Sith (game engine) games
Droid Works
Video games about robots
Video games developed in the United States
Windows games
BAFTA winners (video games)