From Onesies to Design Thinking: Using Indie Games (Baby Steps) to Teach Creative Character Development

Hook: Turn students' struggle with memorable protagonists into a structured, playful lab

Teachers and workshop leaders: are your creative writing or game design students stuck creating bland protagonists or copying tropes? Do you need a reproducible, scaffolded lesson that teaches empathy, satire, and rapid prototyping—while producing playable student projects by the end of the term? This lesson plan uses the indie game Baby Steps and its intentionally awkward protagonist as a launchpad for a five-session unit grounded in design thinking. It gives instructors clear steps, rubrics, templates, and modern tooling options (2026-ready) so students graduate the module with a quirky, defensible character and a working micro-prototype.

The promise: what students will be able to do (inverted pyramid opening)

• Use a five-step Baby Steps-inspired character process to build a protagonist that balances satire and empathy.
• Create a rapid prototype (Twine, Bitsy, paper prototype, Godot micro-scene) that demonstrates that character in action.
• Apply design thinking stages—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test—to character development.
• Use contemporary 2026 toolchains (collaborative boards, low-code engines, ethical AI assists) to produce, iterate, and playtest work in hybrid classrooms.

Why Baby Steps matters in 2026: trends and context

By late 2025 and into 2026, the indie game scene doubled down on short, character-led experiences that foreground personality over spectacle. Titles like Baby Steps (developers Gabe Cuzzillo, Bennett Foddy, Maxi Boch) exemplify how a deliberately ridiculous protagonist can become emotionally resonant through design choices that invite both satire and empathy. As the game's creators told The Guardian in 2025, the protagonist's oddities—onesie, waddling posture, embarrassed behavior—are not only comic but humanizing.

“It’s a loving mockery, because it’s also who I am” — discussion of Baby Steps protagonist design (The Guardian, 2025)

At the same time, education technology in 2026 emphasizes fast iteration and humane AI—tools that assist ideation without replacing student authorship. Low-code engines, collaborative canvases, and ethical image/text generation let classes produce polished prototypes in short cycles. This lesson leverages these trends while teaching core human-centered skills.

Overview: Five-session unit (90–120 minute sessions or equivalent)

Structure the module across five sessions for a semester course or a concentrated workshop series. Each session maps to design-thinking stages and includes specific deliverables.

Session 1 — Empathize & Observe (Goal: understand the human kernel)

• Duration: 90 minutes
• Activities: rapid playthrough of a curated Baby Steps clip (5–10 minutes), group discussion, empathy mapping for characters students already know
• Deliverable: an Empathy Map for a chosen archetype (4 quadrants: Says, Thinks, Does, Feels)

Session 2 — Define & Target (Goal: choose the satirical lens and stakes)

• Duration: 90 minutes
• Activities: define the target for satire (self, institution, genre), write a one-sentence character thesis, create a 3-sentence backstory
• Deliverable: Character Thesis and a short justification connecting empathy map findings to the satirical target

Session 3 — Ideate (Goal: design quirks, constraints, and core actions)

• Duration: 90–120 minutes
• Activities: rapid ideation (20-minute crazy 20), define three signature quirks, map 5 possible in-game actions that express those quirks
• Deliverable: Character Card (visual thumbnail, 3 quirks, 3 actions, one emotional arc)

Session 4 — Prototype (Goal: build a micro-experience that showcases the character)

• Duration: two 90-minute blocks (or 1 workshop-day)
• Activities: choose prototyping tool, make a playable 5–10 minute encounter or text scene, integrate basic UI, log iteration notes
• Deliverable: Playable prototype + one-page iteration log

Session 5 — Test & Reflect (Goal: refine from playtest feedback and present)

• Duration: 90–120 minutes
• Activities: structured playtests (10 minutes each), feedback capture (What surprised you? What moved you? What confused you?), final polish, class presentation
• Deliverable: Final prototype, reflection essay (300–500 words), peer feedback report

Materials and tools (2026-ready, flexible)

• Low-code/accessible engines: Twine, Bitsy, Construct, Godot (beginner templates), Unity Visual Scripting — pick based on class experience
• Collaborative canvases and prototyping: Miro, Figma, Excalidraw for empathy maps and storyboards
• Playtest platforms: Discord servers, private itch.io builds, Zoom breakouts, or in-class devices
• Optional AI assists: generative prompt tools for image placeholders or quick description generation. Teach ethical use: always attribute, avoid creating real likenesses without permission
• Basic art assets: free sprites, public-domain images, or quick sketches; encourage stylistic cohesion over photorealism

How the Baby Steps approach teaches empathy + satire

Baby Steps demonstrates a key lesson: satire lands when it comes from empathy. Unlike mean-spirited parody, a lovingly mocking protagonist reveals human vulnerability that players recognize and protect. Use this tension as your pedagogical north star.

1. Teach students to ask: Who is being satirized and why? What emotional truth does the satire reveal?
2. Require that every satirical trait has an empathetic anchor. For example, a protagonist’s laziness might be tied to fear of failure.
3. Prototype small scenes that let players do one thing with the character—this isolates comedic/empathic beats for testing.

Templates: downloadable classroom-ready artifacts (copy/paste)

Empathy Map

• Says: ‘‘…’’ (Quote the character might say)
• Thinks: inner conflict
• Does: signature behaviors
• Feels: emotional states

Character Card (one page)

• Name / Age / One-line thesis
• Three quirks (physical, verbal, habitual)
• Three core actions (what player does)
• One emotional arc (start–mid–end)
• Satirical target + empathy anchor

Prototype Constraints (pick one)

1. Text-only Twine scene, 5–7 nodes
2. Bitsy micro-room that emphasizes movement and collision
3. Paper prototype: 3 interactions mapped on index cards
4. Godot micro-scene: single camera, 2 NPCs, 1 obstacle

Rubric: Evaluate character-centered prototypes (adjust to your program)

Score each item 1–4 (1=Novice, 4=Exemplary)

• Empathy (25%): Does the character invite understanding? Is there an emotional anchor?
• Satire Balance (20%): Is satire pointed but grounded? Avoids punching down?
• Originality (15%): Quirks and actions feel distinct and memorable
• Prototype Clarity (20%): Core loop demonstrates character traits clearly
• Iteration Evidence (10%): Logs show learning from playtests
• Presentation & Reflection (10%): Clear artist statement, ethical considerations acknowledged

Classroom scripts and micro-prompts (practical, immediate)

Opening 10-minute prompt (Session 1)

“Describe the last fictional character who annoyed you—and then name one thing you secretly admired about them.”

Quick ideation (3-minute bursts)

1. List the strangest three physical traits you can imagine.
2. Write one embarrassing habit that could become a gameplay mechanic.
3. Pair-and-share: show your trait to a partner and ask, ‘Who would protect this person?’

Playtest prompt (structured feedback)

• What surprised you?
• Did you feel any sympathy for the character? Why/why not?
• Which action felt most characterful?
• One small change that would make the character clearer

Example micro-case: Nate from Baby Steps (teaching note)

Use an excerpt from Baby Steps to model analysis. Nate’s onesie, unsteady gait, and nervous speech are comedic, but they also create a protective response: players want to help someone who’s obviously over their head. Ask students to reverse-engineer these choices:

• List three mechanics that express embarrassment (e.g., limited stamina when exposed, audio cues when flustered).
• Map how environmental obstacles (steep slope, crowd) escalate the protagonist’s emotional arc.
• Discuss how animation choices (slow, awkward movements) create empathy despite satire.

Ethics and inclusion: avoid cruel caricature

Satire can be powerful—and risky. Teach students these guardrails:

• Do not mock protected classes or lived experiences. Satire should target behaviors, systems, or universal human foibles.
• Include a rationale: every satirical choice must have an empathy anchor in the character’s humanity.
• Have a content warning policy for sensitive student work and a private opt-out for public sharing.

Tooling tips: efficient pipelines for fast iteration

Use tool combos that minimize friction:

• Sketch character cards in Figma or paper; transfer dialogue to Twine for branching experiments.
• For pixel-art prototypes, start in Bitsy and export to itch.io for playtests.
• When students use AI tools for concept art or copy, require a short prompt log and a statement of what the model contributed.
• Host playtests asynchronously on a private itch build with a linked Google Form for feedback to streamline class sessions.

Assessment and portfolio outcomes

Students finish with artifacts that demonstrate craft and process—perfect for portfolios and applications:

• Character Card (visual + textual)
• Playable prototype (Twine/Bitsy/Godot/Construct)
• Reflection essay and iteration log
• Peer feedback synthesis

Extensions and advanced options (for higher-level classes)

• Mechanic-driven satire: design a mechanic that satirizes a real-world system (e.g., performative productivity) and test player interpretation.
• Collaborative narrative: teams rotate roles—writer, designer, prototyper, playtester—each iteration changes the protagonist slightly.
• Multimodal character: create a short audiovisual vignette using student-made sound and minimal animation in Godot or Unity’s visual scripting.

Classroom timeline sample (6-week semester split)

1. Week 1: Empathize + Character seeds
2. Week 2: Define + Quirk selection
3. Week 3: Ideate + Paper prototypes
4. Week 4: Build first playable
5. Week 5: Playtest and iterate
6. Week 6: Finalize, present, and reflect

Common challenges and solutions

Students make mean-spirited characters

Solution: require a written empathy anchor for each negative trait. If you can’t find one, rework the trait.

Prototypes feel feature-bloated

Solution: enforce the single-mechanic rule—only implement one player action that demonstrates character in Session 4.

Playtest feedback is vague

Solution: use structured prompts and ask testers to perform a specific task to provoke measurable reactions.

Teacher reflection & classroom research notes (E-E-A-T)

Reflection & classroom research notes (E-E-A-T): From an educator's perspective, the strongest units pair games analysis (e.g., deconstructing Baby Steps) with active making. This blends theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience—aligning with current 2026 pedagogical emphasis on project-based learning and portfolios. Anecdotal evidence from recent workshops suggests students engaged more deeply when satire was framed through empathy, and prototyping constraints led to more original solutions.

Actionable takeaways (quick checklist)

• Start with empathy maps before design moves to satire.
• Force constraints: one mechanic, one emotional arc.
• Use low-cost tools (Twine/Bitsy) for early playables and scale up if needed.
• Require an ethics statement for satirical choices and AI use.
• Grade process as rigorously as the final artifact—iteration logs matter.

Final thoughts: why quirky protagonists teach real-world empathy

Characters like Nate in Baby Steps prove that oddities can be both comic and compassionate. When students design with an empathy-first approach, satire becomes a tool to examine power, fear, and human foibles—not to demean. By anchoring playful prototypes in human truth, your class will produce memorable characters and meaningful learning outcomes that translate to writing, game design, and critical media literacy.

Call to action

Ready to run this unit? Download the printable lesson pack (empathy map, character card, rubric, and playtest form) at workshops.website/lessonpacks and try the One-Week Baby Steps Challenge with your class. Share student prototypes on our gallery and tag them #BabyStepsClass—I'll review and give constructive notes on select entries. If you want a customizable slide deck or a remote-playtest template, reply to this post and I’ll send starter files.

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