Project details

Highlandia is an educational English language learning game developed for Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools. Designed to help ESL students improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, Highlandia provides an engaging and structured learning experience. Students interact with over 10 mini-games, while teachers utilize built-in analytics to assess progress and identify areas for improvement. The game was deployed weekly to over 30,000 students across multiple campuses, ensuring consistent engagement and feedback loops.

By integrating an internal CMS and content management pipeline, the game automatically imported curriculum data from complex Excel sheets into Unity ScriptableObjects, packaging assets as Addressable AssetBundles for efficient updates. It also featured an audio processing pipeline with Whisper AI for pronunciation and speech recognition, and remote progress saving via AWS S3 to ensure cross-device continuity.
Play now on Android!

Key Features

Educational Mini-Games: Engage with 10+ interactive games designed to improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
Dynamic Content Pipeline: Internal CMS automates import of Excel-based curriculum data into Unity ScriptableObjects and packages them as Addressable AssetBundles for live updates.
Speech Recognition System: Whisper-powered audio pipeline enables pronunciation feedback and adaptive listening exercises.
Advanced Progress Tracking: GameAnalytics SDK and PowerSchool API monitor student progress and personalize learning difficulty.
Mission-Based Learning: Complete dynamic missions assigned through the Mission Manager System, rewarding students as they progress.
World Building & Customization: Use in-game coins to build and personalize your world, populating the map with your favorite buildings.
Stage Selection Map: Navigate your learning journey through an interactive map, unlocking new stages like a Candy Crush-style progression system.
Educator-Focused Insights: Integrated GameAnalytics SDK tracks student engagement, mission progress, and learning patterns, helping teachers refine strategies.
Remote Saving: AWS S3 enables seamless cloud data sync and multi-device continuity.
Error Handling & Debugging: In-game debug tools ensure smooth performance and stability.

Responsibilities
My contributions to Highlandia covered a wide range of areas, including:

Feature Development: Designed and implemented new gameplay mechanics for multiple games.
Optimization: Refactored algorithms to enhance performance across multiple devices.
Bug Fixing & Code Improvements: Identified, fixed, and optimized old code for better efficiency and maintainability.
UI/UX Enhancements: Resolved responsiveness issues to improve user experience on various mobile devices.
Collaboration: Worked closely with a 15-person interdisciplinary team (programmers, artists, QA) to ensure smooth weekly rollouts and version control stability.

Tech Stack
Engine: Unity
Data Management: ScriptableObjects, Excel Integration
Audio: Whisper AI
Analytics: GameAnalytics

Team Size
Game Programmers: 8+
Artists: 3
QA Analysts: 2

Timeline
Dec, 2021 - Dec, 2024
(3 Years)