Getting Started

WELCOME, TEACHERS

Here's a comprehensive, step by step tutorial on navigating the hardware, software, and gameplay of Kürzi. Click on the YouTube description to see timestamps to important sections. 

Not a video person? Scroll down for a full written breakdown of Kürzi technology.

LESSON ACTIVITES IN KÜRZI

There are 4 consecutive health curriculum lessons paired with Kürzi. Each lesson has Kürzi gameplay activities to support it. See the Lesson Resources page to see gameplay activities associated with each lesson.

HARDWARE

This section goes over how to power on, charge, restart, read time in Kürzi, and interact with the Kürzi device.

TURNING KÜRZI ON

To turn Kürzi on, locate the tiny black switch at the lower left corner. For the power switch, left is OFF, right is ON. Switch the power switch to the right to turn it on. The touch screen display will light up. 

CHARGING KÜRZI

If the screen is not lighting up, you may need to charge Kürzi. You can charge Kürzi through the USB charging slot at the bottom center of the device. To reach full charge, charge Kürzi for 1.5 hours. 

RESTARTING KÜRZI

In the event that Kürzi is frozen, you may need to restart the device. You can tell that Kürzi is frozen if everything on the screen is still and nothing is being animated.

The game autosaves data after each game action; the most a player could lose is up to 1 minute of gameplay.

To restart Kürzi, switch the power switch OFF (left) then ON (right). You will be taken to the startup screen where you can choose New Game or Load Save.

TIME IN KÜRZI

Kürzi tracks both real world time and has its own separate game time. 1 second in the real world = 1 minute in Kürzi time. 

We chose to have 2 separate times because we see students using Kürzi in class for only a brief amount of time, therefore, having real world time would not translate well to Kürzi. 

INTERACTION METHODS

Kürzi has 4 ways to interact with the device: 

More details about all these input methods will be covered later.

GETTING STARTED WITH A NEW GAME

This section takes you through starting a new game, which includes the introduction sequence that tells players how to take care of Kürzi.

NEW GAME INTRODUCTION SEQUENCE

If the student clicks New Game, he/she will be taken through an introduction sequence to introduce him/her to Kürzi. There are 3 parts to this sequence: clearing the dust, first Kürzi appearance, and visiting the doctor. 

CLEAR THE DUST

First, clear the dust. A screen will appear prompting the student to “clear the dust” by shaking the device. Shake the device vigorously up and down for about 2 seconds until another screen appears. The following screen will tell the student that the room is “better” but to continue shaking the device to remove the dust from the couch. Shake the device vigorously up and down again for about 2 seconds. 

KÜRZI APPEARS

Once the dust is cleared, the student will see Kürzi the dustball for the first time. Tap the screen and customize the color of Kürzi. Once satisfied, click the green check at the bottom left corner of the screen to save the color settings. Kürzi will then enter the doctor’s office.

VISITING THE DOCTOR

At the start of the game, the player will take Kürzi to a doctor’s office to check that that dustball is healthy. In the doctor’s office, a doctor will guide you through Kürzi’s different game stats and how to take care of Kürzi’s stats. Follow the instructions on the screen. Tap on the screen or press the right button to go to the next instructions. 

After tapping on the screen, a nurse will appear to prompt the player to take their pulse reading using the sensor on the bottom center of the device.

Once the pulse sensor LED lights up, the player will put their finger over the pulse sensor and red light, and apply pressure gently and steadily on the sensor until the next screen appears. The dialogue from the nurse will relay the BPM that was just measured.

After the nurse takes vitals (the BPM), a Pediatrician doctor will guide the player through how to take care of Kürzi by keeping their game stats up through healthy behavior. Read the dialogue and tap on the screen or press the right button to continue reading. Once the dialogue is finished, the student will be redirected to Kürzi’s environment to take care of Kürzi.

SENSORS & INFO / LEFT BUTTON

This section discusses the options in the Sensors & Info menu in detail.

To access the Sensors & Info menu with teacher settings, press the left button. In the Sensors & Info menu, you’ll see 4 things: a Pulse Oximeter, a Step Counter, Gameplay Info, and Day by Day.

To exit out of the Sensors & Info menu and return to Kürzi’s environment, press the left button again, or click on the left arrow in the bottom left corner of the screen. 

GAME STATS / RIGHT BUTTON

This section discusses each of the items in the Game stats & Settings menu and how to use them.

The right button accesses Kürzi’s 4 different health stats (Energy, Nutrition, Mood, and Hydration), Coins, Volume and Brightness Settings, Battery Level, Kürzi Color Customization Settings, Redo Intro Button, and Save Button. 

To exit out of the game stats menu and return to Kürzi’s environment, press the right button again, or click the arrow in the bottom left corner of the screen. 

DOCTOR EVENTS

What are Doctor Events, when do they get triggered, and how to prevent too many trips to the doctor's office.

WHAT ARE DOCTOR EVENTS?

Doctor events are a feedback system that reinforces student awareness that a lack of sleep, nutrition, hydration, exercise, and rest can create negative health consequences. Doctor appointments with Kürzi cost 50 coins or the number of coins the player has left in their balance, so it’s in the best interest of the player to avoid doctor visits when able to.

WHY DO I KEEP VISITING THE DOCTOR? / WHEN YOU VISIT THE DOCTOR

If one or more of the game stats (Energy, Nutrition, Mood, Hydration) reaches 0, a doctor event will be triggered. If you use the exercise equipment and don't exercise rigorously enough, the cardiologist will be triggered. 

WHAT HAPPENS IN DOCTOR EVENTS?

Kürzi will visit a doctor’s office of varying specialties depending on which game stat hit 0. A nurse will take Kürzi’s vitals, and prompt the player for a BPM reading. Then the specialized doctor or medical personnel will arrive to tell the player what is wrong with Kürzi’s health and offer instructions on how to better take care of Kürzi to avoid negative consequences.

Measure the student's pulse. Tap on the screen or press the right button to advance through the doctor dialogue. After the dialogue is finished, the student will be redirected to Kürzi’s environment with coins subtracted to pay for the doctor appointment.

PULSE SENSOR

This section provides a detailed walkthrough of how to use the Pulse Sensor.

There are 2 ways to activate the Pulse Sensor: 1) accessing the Sensors & Info menu-> Pulse Oximeter, and 2) interacting with the Exercise Equipment object in the Outdoor room in Kürzi’s environment. 

TIPS

The Pulse Sensor is the most finicky feature of Kürzi. Here are some tips to get it working:

  • Don’t immediately place your thumb on the pulse sensor when you see the red light. Pause before you start measuring your pulse. 
  • Position your thumb square on the pulse sensor and red light in the bottom center of the device. Cover both the pulse sensor and red light. Your fingernail should light up red.
  • Don’t press too hard! If you are holding the device, there is no need to squeeze. Rest your finger gently on the device. 
  • Hold your thumb steadily, applying even pressure until the pulse sensor reads your pulse.
  • Try not to use the pulse sensor consecutively too many times. 
  • If it doesn’t work, restart the device and try again. 

ROOMS & LESSON ACTIVITIES

This section will cover navigating to and within Kürzi's rooms and walkthrough how the different interactive objects work.

Kürzi has 4 rooms to Kürzi’s house (from left to right): the Outdoor, Living Room, Kitchen, and Bedroom. Upon power-on, Kürzi will always appear in the Living Room. 

MOVING BETWEEN ROOMS / INTERACTING WITHIN ROOMS

To move through Kürzi’s house, tap on the right or left edges of the screen where there are doorways to different rooms.

Kürzi can also interact with the room. For example, you can drag Kürzi around the room. 

Certain objects will have interactive messages attached to it. These objects include: the Exercise Equipment outside, the Couch and Bookshelf in the Living Room, the Fridge and Sink in the Kitchen, and the PC and Bed in the Bedroom. To interact with objects in the room, click on the object, and the screen will prompt an interactive message.

If clicking on the interactive object is not working, Kürzi might be blocking the object or might not be close enough to the object. Try clicking the object again. If that doesn’t work, try moving Kürzi away, then clicking on the object. 

MINI GAMES

This section will cover how to play the mini games in the Bedroom computer in Kürzi. Click on the PC, then confirm 'yes', to access the mini games.

WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU

If you can't figure something out, contact us!

Schedule a video or phone call via Calendly: https://calendly.com/tiana-lui/30min