Educational game makers are faced with the challenge of inserting pedagogical content that is direct and appropriate. Typically the challenge is met by either making the actions in the game require thought processes that guide the player to useful conclusions, or seek to actionize traditional worksheets.
Apple’s iPod and iPad products immediately caught the attention of educators, and parents have discovered they serve dual purposes as productivity tools and gaming platforms, even for younger children.
I’ve been corresponding with Ben Tao over at Hug a Panda about their new educational app, Q Racer. Designed for kids, the app lets user avatars race against the computer’s characters as they master answers in various categories. Lists include fun items like celebrity quizzes and NFL teams, to more serious items found on tests like state capitals or inventors and their inventions. Avatars can be customized for boys or girls, and users can play their own music during the races. Here’s the trailer video for Q Racer:
Q Racer is available in the App Store at the moment for $.99. Learn more at Hug a Panda’s site, here.
Hot new iPad apps combine the best of interactive gaming technology with kids’ books. Jeffrey Trachtenberg writes of major publishing houses releasing several new games/books through Apple’s iStore. Credit goes to the iPad’s increased capabilities over previous e-readers:
The launch illustrates how quickly the digital publishing landscape is changing. While novels and other books that depend only on text can be sold easily as standard e-books, children’s picture books are more complicated.
Until the debut last April of Apple’s iPad, the inability of existing e-book reading devices to provide color and video capabilities limited the digital opportunities for picture books and the like. Electronic children’s books need that functionality, which is common in applications for games and movies.
We predicted a plethora of new gaming apps suited for the iPad earlier this year. It’s nice to see an educational and literacy slant.
I wrote about the learning elements embedded in one of the world’s best boardgames, Settlers of Catan, back in April. This morning, The Wall Street Journal has a front page article describing how the game has taken Silicon Valley’s social set by storm. CEOs of Internet startups play it, new employees are introduced to it in social gatherings, and competitions are common.
Although a boardgame, many new users find the online version or the Apple iPhone app useful for learning the basics, and good practice for RL matches. This is something of a switch from what we’ve seen with popular videogames that can be leveraged for learning, where players go offline to pick up tips and strategies, such as the studying of history books by avid Civilization fans.
Speculation regarding its popularity in Silicon Valley centers on the game’s similarity to starting a business. Here’s the key paragraph:
LinkedIn’s Mr. Hoffman, who estimates he has inducted nearly 40 Silicon Valley executives into the game, says tech entrepreneurs are drawn to Settlers because it “most closely approximates entrepreneurial strategy.” The title pushes players to collaborate and swap resources to get points, while the random rolls of the dice force people to constantly revamp their strategies for winning. That’s much like running a start-up, Mr. Hoffman says.
Very interesting. The game is available on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble. Might make a good gift for the budding entrepreneur on your list.
References:
Tam, P. (2009, December 17). An old-school board game goes viral among Silicon Valley’s techie crowd. The Wall Street Journal, A1. [Online.] Retrieved December 17, 2009 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126092289275692825.htm
Game Discussion, Serious Games, iPad | John Rice | 
January 27, 2011 4:16 pm | 
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