📚 Educational Aspects

ArcLycée is not just a game: it is a pedagogical tool that integrates history, science, ecology, citizenship and language skills into a playful experience designed, enjoyed and validated by the students themselves.

Historical Knowledge

Each of the 13 game worlds is based on real archaeological sites, events and historical figures from the Dominican Republic and Hispaniola:

• Taíno Era (3000 BC – 1492) — Cuevas del Pomier with its real petroglyphs, yucayeques with bohíos, conucos, ceramics and ceremonies like the areíto and the batú ball game.
• Maroon Resistance (~1540) — The Palenque of Sebastián Lemba, the first free Afro-descendant community in the Americas.
• Colonial Era (1492–1533) — La Isabela (first European city), the Zona Colonial (UNESCO Heritage), Enriquillo's rebellion (1519–1533).
• Natural Heritage — Lago Enriquillo (hypersaline ecosystems), Manantial de la Aleta (sacred Taíno cenote in Cotubanamá National Park), endemic fauna.
• Heritage Protection — Law 318, artifact trafficking, carbon-14 authentication, the role of INTERPOL and UNESCO.

All historical data was researched by the students, verified with academic sources (Museo del Hombre Dominicano, Florida Museum of Natural History, Leiden University) and validated by advisors.

Social Skills and Civic Responsibility

The combat system is inspired by Undertale: every conflict can be resolved without violence. This teaches:

• Dialogue and negotiation — Convincing adversaries with arguments, not force.
• Citizen activism — Protest signs, press coverage, legal action and human chains against heritage destruction.
• Legal debate — Using real laws (Law 318, UNESCO 1970 conventions) to stop artifact trafficking.
• Ecological conservation — Capturing invasive species, rescuing manatees, protecting reefs.
• Consequences of decisions — 5 different endings based on the player's choices throughout the game.

Cultural Awareness and Diversity

The protagonist has Taíno, Spanish and African ancestry — reflecting the tri-ethnic identity of the Dominican Republic. The game explores:

• Taíno culture without stereotypes or oversimplification.
• The maroon resistance of Sebastián Lemba and the African legacy.
• Colonial heritage in its complexity (conquest, resistance, mestizaje).
• The island's unique biodiversity (American crocodiles, rhinoceros iguanas, manatees, humpback whales).

Geography

Every location in the game is real and geographically accurate:

• Map of Hispaniola — The game map was traced pixel by pixel from real NASA topographic imagery. Mountain ranges, rivers, lakes and coastlines follow the island's actual geography.
• Real GPS coordinates — The Reference Map (Leaflet) shows the exact locations of all 13 game worlds on real cartography, with Stadia Maps and OpenStreetMap layers.
• Verified locations — Cuevas del Pomier (San Cristóbal), La Isabela (Puerto Plata), Zona Colonial (Santo Domingo), Lago Enriquillo (Independencia/Bahoruco), Manantial de la Aleta (Cotubanamá National Park, Bayahíbe), Punta Cana Airport, Museo del Hombre Dominicano (Santo Domingo) — all in their correct geographic positions.
• Regional ecosystems — Each world reflects the real ecosystem of its location: xerophytic dry forest around Lago Enriquillo, coral reefs along the north coast, tropical vegetation in the Bahoruco mountains.

Natural Sciences

All habitats, ecosystems and animal and plant species in the game are scientifically and biologically accurate:

• Species with scientific names — American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta), Ricord's Iguana (Cyclura ricordii), West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia), Hispaniolan Racer (Haitiophis anomalus).
• Realistic behaviors — Crocodiles perform death rolls, rhinoceros iguanas have distinctive nasal horns, flamingos stand on one leg, hawksbill turtles have animated flippers, humpback whales follow Bezier trajectories simulating real swimming patterns.
• Ecosystems represented — Hypersaline lake (3× saltier than seawater), coral reefs (4 types: brain, elkhorn, fan, table), freshwater cenote, coastal mangrove, xerophytic forest with columnar cacti (Pilosocereus polygonus) and pitahaya (Harrisia nashii).
• Invasive species — The Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is correctly presented as a Caribbean invasive species, with an ecological combat that teaches real control methods (trapping, spearfishing, coral protection).
• Conservation — The game's ecological actions (freeing a manatee, cleaning a reef, controlling lionfish) reflect real marine conservation challenges in the Dominican Republic.
• Taíno crops — Yuca, corn, sweet potato, chili pepper, tobacco and cotton — the historical crops of Taíno conucos, presented with information about their use and preparation (casabe, barbacoa).

Language Proficiency

ArcLycée is fully trilingual (Spanish, English, French). The player can switch languages at any time from the main menu. This includes:

• All NPC dialogues (over 200 lines per language).
• The entire user interface, menus, toasts and system messages.
• All technical and pedagogical documentation.
• All 13 worlds with translated place names, structures and crops.

The Liceo Francés de Santo Domingo is a trilingual institution — the game reflects and reinforces this competency.

Reading Comprehension

The ArcLycée Narrative is a 15-chapter adventure novel based on the game, designed for readers aged 7 to 19. Available in Spanish, English and French, it offers a unique reading development opportunity:

• Specialized vocabulary — Archaeological, scientific, legal and cultural terms presented in narrative context, facilitating natural acquisition of technical vocabulary.
• Multi-level reading comprehension — The story works as an exciting adventure for young readers and as an educational text rich in verifiable facts for advanced readers.
• Critical reading — The protagonist's moral dilemmas (pacifist vs. aggressive route, heritage protection vs. development) promote critical thinking and discussion.
• Text-experience connection — Students can read the narrative before or after playing, comparing the interactive experience with the linear narrative.
• Trilingual reading — The same text in 3 languages enables comparative comprehension exercises, cognate identification, and analysis of cultural differences in translation.

STEM Skills and Computational Thinking

• Robotics and programming — The LFSD world replicates the real robotics classroom with FIRST LEGO League, 3D printers and Scratch.
• Scientific method — Carbon-14 dating, forensic artifact analysis, species identification.
• Game design — Students participated in designing mechanics, levels, balance and narrative.
• Open source — All code is documented in Spanish with explanatory comments readable by 13-year-old students.

Academic Rigor

Every game element is backed by research:

• Archaeological sites — Real GPS coordinates (visible in the Leaflet Reference Map), descriptions based on academic sources.
• Fauna and flora — Correct scientific names (e.g., Crocodylus acutus, Cyclura cornuta, Trichechus manatus), realistic behaviors.
• Historical figures — Cacique Enriquillo (Guarocuya), Mencía, Anacaona, Roberto Cassá — based on historical records.
• Laws and regulations — Law 318-68 on Cultural Heritage, UNESCO 1970 Convention, INTERPOL protocols for art trafficking.

Engaging and Fun Format

All educational content is delivered through proven game mechanics:

• RPG with progression — Free exploration, inventory, reputation, evolving companions.
• Varied mini-games — DDR (areíto), fencing (duel), bullet hell (secret boss), ball game (batú), rappelling, diving.
• Non-linear narrative — The player discovers history at their own pace, with optional quests that deepen specific themes.
• Appealing aesthetics — Procedural pixel art, AI-generated original music, procedural sound effects.
• Accessibility — Runs in any modern browser (no installation), touch controls for phones, no external dependencies.

The students themselves (~13 years old) tested, enjoyed and validated that the game is fun before considering it educationally valid.

Iterative Pedagogical Process

ArcLycée was not delivered as a finished product — it was built as an extended formative process:

1. Research — Students investigated archaeological sites, laws, species and historical figures.
2. Conceptualization — Group discussion sessions to define worlds, mechanics and narrative.
3. Design — Design document edited and revised 10 times between February and March 2026. View original document.
4. Implementation — Iterative development with playable prototypes every week.
5. Review — Testing by students and their peers, bug reports, suggestions.
6. Continuous improvement — Every suggestion evaluated and implemented, documented code, changes tracked with Git.

The students understand and have lived through every phase of the software development lifecycle — from research to delivery and maintenance.