Directions for making a PowerPoint hyper-linked activity into an

Interactive Video Game

By Tony Mitchell – PowerPoint Version 2002

After a hyperlinked activity has been completed, and tested many times, it can be setup to function like a game, with limitations on the user to make the activity more fun. To prepare your activity follow the steps below.

Before implementing the steps below, make a back up copy of your activity. Then:

• Turn off the “Advance on mouse click” feature:
• Go to the Slideshow menu and choose Slide Transition
• The slide transition window appear in the task pane to the right
• Take the check out of the box where it reads “on mouse click”; you should click the "Apply to All Slides" button
• Note: if you needed a slide to advance on its own after several seconds, this window lets you make that choice. This is like “Invisible Buttons” in HS
• Prevent the little navigational button from appearing in the Slideshow View. This button allows the user to move to the slides of his choice in the Slideshow View. We do not want to allow that in our activity
• Go to the Tools menu and choose Options
• Click the View tab
• In the section in the middle, the Slide show section, take the checks out of the top three choices. Only leave “End with black slide” checked
• Prevent keyboard arrows from advancing the show in the slideshow view
• Go to Slideshow menu and select Set up Show
• Change Show type to Browse at a kiosk
• To insure your activity works properly on the web, without including navigation helps that would render the game useless, and being sure the animation you included will be visible
• Go to the Tools menu and choose Options
• Click on the General tab
• Click on the “Web Options” button toward the bottom of this window
• Remove the check from the top box, “Add slide navigation controls”
• Be sure a check is in the second box, “Show slide animation while browsing”
• Disable the hyper-linking component that changes the color of a link that has been visited. This would give the answers away to the second player of the game
• From the Task pane dropdown menu, choose “Slide Design - Color Schemes”
• The Task pane window will change; now look toward the bottom of the Task pane and click on “Edit Color Schemes”
• In the Edit Color Schemes window that opens, be sure the Custom tab is chosen
• Notice the two bottom choices, “Accent and hyperlink” and “Accent and followed hyperlink”
• The object here is to make both of these choices the same. Generally on the internet you want a visited or followed hyperlink to be a different color to keep you from revisiting a page you have already seen; however, in this game/activity, it is important that the link not changed color after it is visited
• Select the Accent and hyperlink box then click on Change Color button below. Be sure to choose a color that will show up well on all of the slides in your game. If you have put a green background, a green link might not show up well
• Follow the same procedure for a followed hyperlink, make SURE it the same color as the hyperlink
• Click on the Apply button toward the top right side of this window

• Invisible or timed button (in HS) : in PPT use slide transition, click in advance slide auto after ____ seconds

The next step in preparing your interactive video game will be determined by a choice. Will this activity/game be viewed on a computer in your room, or do you plan to upload it to the internet and let your student ‘play’ it online.

To use in your classroom:

• We want to make our PowerPoint activity function like a game, such that the user cannot simply press the ESC key and end the game, soooo……
• Make a backup copy of your PowerPoint activity (because we are about to save your activity such that it can no longer be edited)
• Be sure you have two documents or activities, one backed up and stored somewhere, and one to which you are about to make changes
• Once you have made a back up that can be edited and corrected if needed, (and it is often needed), open one of your activity documents and go the file menu and choose “Save As”
• Inside of the Save As window, look toward the bottom and find the “Save As Type” dropdown menu
• Choose as your Type “PowerPoint Show (*.PPS)
• Leave the name of the document the same, but you will probably save the Show to the desktop
• Click the Save button
• Now when the student double clicks on the Show (it has a blue arrow in the bottom left corner of the icon), the activity launches, but when he clicks the ESC key, the activity ends but he cannot edit the game or move through the slides
• Put the original, editable, PowerPoint Activity somewhere safe and inaccessible to students

If you choose to upload your activity to the internet click here. Uploading your activity to the internet is somewhat more involved, but does make your activity available to a much broader audience (the whole world), so be sure it is accurate and functions properly after it is published to the internet. Also, please send me a link to your activity by clicking here.