KATHA: A 2D Game Development for Cultural Preservation for Elementary Students

This paper proposes a 2D web-based game development with interactive storybook system entitled "KATHA"- for cultural preservation among grade 4 students in Santiago Elementary School. Cultural education is an invaluable concept that is learned through educational institutions, to museums. However, cultural literacy in the Philippines faced a decline over the years due to various factors such as influence of social media and faulty educational system. The implementation of MATATAG curriculum, with a focus in increasing literacy in primary education, left some gray areas for improvement in one of its pilot schools, thus, the development of KATHA allows students to be exposed in Philippine folklores of Alamat ng Apoy, Alamat ng Bakunawa at Pitong Buwan, and Alamat ng Mangga. These stories are visualized through an interactive storybook and narration, with game integration for increased retention and immersion. 3 games were integrated which encompasses an "endless-runner" gameplay, "tower defense" gameplay, and a "puzzle, hidden-object" gameplay. The web-based and single-player system allows students to utilize the educational game while being monitored by teachers. The system allows teachers to create quizzes and assessment to gauge the students’ learning progress from Philippine folklores’ moral lessons and values.