How to play
- Move with the arrow keys or WASD (on a phone, the D-pad). Tap a direction to turn on the spot.
- Talk to anyone with a ! using Space or A. They check you in to real ASPIRE quests. In-person quests only work at their building.
- Abilities are the icons above the map. Each unlocks when a capability in your skill tree reaches an HCS level, for example running shoes at Initiative & Drive L1 and the map at Problem Solving & Data L1.
- Challenges hide in Victoria Park's long grass. Your capabilities are your moves.
- Classmates in your room code appear live. Walk up and press Space to wave or squad up. Checking in together earns a squad bonus.
- The campus is built from OpenStreetMap data, so buildings and paths are where they really are.
Quest board
Real ASPIRE activities. Checking in earns XP and sparks Level 1 in a capability you choose. Paid work, caring and volunteering count too, because life outside uni builds capability.
Badges
Each badge has a published rule, so nobody has to guess how to earn it. Badges recognise breadth, firsts and contribution, not just grinding.
Your squad
Compare progress with friends you choose, not the whole cohort. Rankings stay small and friendly, so nobody is shown at the bottom of a 900-person table.
Cohort goal
Everyone's XP adds to one shared target. When the cohort reaches it, the end-of-semester ASPIRE celebration unlocks. It's a shared goal for the whole cohort, not a competition.
Squad quest
Employability Portfolio feed
Every Reflect-level entry and above lands here automatically, tagged to a Human Capability Standard. Verified entries (Level 4+) become portable digital credentials. Print or save this page as PDF to take it into a careers appointment or an interview.
Capability profile
Evidence
How the model works
The brief asks the Recognition & Progression working group to "design the ASPIRE recognition framework, including points, badges, awards and/or other mechanisms that recognise participation and capability development. Define achievement criteria, progression thresholds, evidence requirements and how recognition connects to the Employability Portfolio." The S1 2027 scope: "a simple, transparent recognition model that can mature over time."
1 · Two currencies, kept separate
XP: participation
Earned by checking in to ASPIRE activities (QR or Canvas). Drives your rank and the cohort goal. Easy to earn, so it rewards showing up.Capability levels: development
Can't be bought with XP. Each level needs evidence. This stops the system from rewarding just turning up and keeps it credible to employers.Badges: milestones
Auto-awarded when published rules are met: breadth, firsts and helping others. They give you something to aim for and something to share.2 · The skill tree = Human Capability Standards
The tree follows the Human Capability Standards Reference Framework, Education Version 4 (2025) from the Institute for Working Futures. It has 12 durable capabilities in three domains, and each capability has four skills and four mindsets. Every node in the tree shows the official HCS definition, its skills and mindsets, and the game abilities it unlocks. The LEAD prestige branch uses the HCS L.E.A.D. leadership domain, which the education version leaves out.
Levels = HCS proficiency levels
HCS describes capability across seven levels of autonomy, responsibility and complexity, from Follow to Shape. A degree realistically covers Levels 1–5, so the game's five levels map directly to them. Levels 6 (Improve) and 7 (Shape) come with professional practice after graduation.
Abilities: what each level unlocks in the game
3 · Achievement criteria and evidence requirements
| Level | Achievement criterion | Evidence required | Who confirms | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Spark HCS L1 Follow | Took part in an activity that builds this capability | Check-in to a tagged quest | Automatic | Quest XP |
| 2 Reflect HCS L2 Support | Can explain what they did and learned | 50+ word STAR reflection (Situation, Task, Action, Result) | Self (spot-checked) | +20 XP · portfolio entry (draft) |
| 3 Apply HCS L3 Action | Used the capability to produce something real | Artefact (link or description) + endorsement | Peer, mentor or tutor | +40 XP · portfolio entry (endorsed) |
| 4 Prove HCS L4 Guide | Meets the HCS behavioural descriptor in a real setting | Verification against the HCS descriptor | Staff, employer or placement supervisor | +60 XP · digital credential |
| 5 Own HCS L5 Execute | Plans own work and handles unfamiliar, non-routine problems | Something non-routine planned and delivered on own initiative + verification | Staff or program lead | +100 XP · digital credential |
4 · Progression thresholds (ranks)
Ranks need XP and breadth, so you can't max one thing and coast.
5 · Designed for the issues the Student Experience Survey (SES) measures
| SES theme | Design response |
|---|---|
| Belonging · connecting with other students | Squads, squad quests, a shared cohort goal, and a Welcome Week first quest |
| How work impacts study · commitments outside uni | Life Counts quests: paid work, caring and volunteering are valid evidence. No streaks and no penalties for missed weeks, and progress carries over between semesters |
| Online vs in-person | Every quest is tagged online, in person or either, and online quests are worth the same XP |
| Support with AI | Digital Acumen + Ethics quests (responsible AI workshop) |
| Work-integrated learning (WIL) · placements | Placements carry the most XP, and supervisors can verify Level 4 |
| Racism, gender and inclusion | Cultural Awareness capability (and its 🧭 landmark-discovery ability), opt-in visibility, and small squad boards instead of a public cohort ranking |
| Intellectually stimulating | Case comps, hackathons and the LEAD prestige branch give high-achievers a stretch |
6 · MVP (S1 2027) vs dream scenario
MVP: use what already exists
- Quest check-ins via QR codes and Canvas modules
- XP, ranks and badges calculated from published rules (like this prototype)
- Reflection and endorsement forms in Canvas, with staff verification at existing events
- Portfolio feed as an exportable record
- Core tree only (the 12 HCS Education capabilities in HEAD, HEART and HANDS)
Dream: mature over time
- LEAD prestige branch unlocked
- Verified levels issued as Open Badges / verifiable credentials, shareable to LinkedIn
- Employer-set quests and employers verifying Level 4 directly
- Campus world with live presence at real events (this prototype shows the idea) and moderation tools
- Analytics that link participation to SES and graduate outcomes
7 · The campus world
Everyone in a cohort shares one walkable (stylised) Camperdown and Darlington campus. It turns the recognition model into a place:
| Game element | Recognition model link |
|---|---|
| People with a ! at real buildings (Quad, Fisher, Manning, Abercrombie, JFR, Wentworth, Holme) | Quest check-ins = participation XP. In-person quests only work at their location, just like scanning a QR code at the event. |
| Challenges in tall grass (Deadline Dragon, Group Project Ghost, Imposter Syndrome…) | Your capabilities are your moves, and higher levels hit harder. Each challenge is weak to one branch. XP is capped at 75 a day, and a win never levels a skill by itself. It prompts a reflection instead. |
| Wellbeing Coach at Charles Perkins Centre | Restores energy. It's a gentle nudge toward support services. |
| Other students walking around, chat and emotes | Belonging and connecting outside class (SES). Squad up in person, then check in together for a +25 XP bonus. |
| Cohort room codes | Each cohort or class gets its own world. Only name, avatar colour, XP, rank and strongest capability are shared. Evidence stays on the student's device. |
8 · Questions for the strategy session
- Where are we now? What gets recognised in ASPIRE today, and what goes unseen?
- Which incentive would actually change what you do: XP, badges, squads, or portfolio credentials?
- Is a 50-word reflection the right bar for Level 2? What would stop people gaming it?
- Who should be able to verify Level 4, and how do we make that easy for employers?
- How do we make sure students who work 20+ hours a week aren't left behind?
Sources: Institute for Working Futures (2025), Human Capability Standards Reference Framework, Education Version 4; Human Capability Standards seven-level framework (2020/2022); Bowles, M. & Wilson, P. T. (2025). Revalidating the Human Capability Standards. HCS definitions are quoted from the framework, and LEAD descriptions and level summaries are our own paraphrases. Campus map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).