Online Edutainment
by Rudolf Kajan · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 11/15/2006 (11:40 am) · 10 replies
I am working on a quite big school project - I must do a game for children (cca 14-15 y.o.). I am thinking about multiplayer game, probably in world of warcraft-style that is also edutainment. In database I have texts and pictures about science, chemistry and math. Every class consists of 6-8 children so I was thinking about making teams. I need to show texts and picturs in game in a way that these children will be interested in. I don't have figured out the story behind the game yet, or how should quests look like. Any ideas / suggestions ?
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#2
you know the flying shrinking bus on that science orientated kids show.
good stuff.
see the premise is to use fun iteractively to learn about the science.
so in a game you could simply present a problem that requires science to solve.
11/15/2006 (12:02 pm)
I always liked the Magic School bus approach.you know the flying shrinking bus on that science orientated kids show.
good stuff.
see the premise is to use fun iteractively to learn about the science.
so in a game you could simply present a problem that requires science to solve.
#3
11/15/2006 (12:11 pm)
Thanks, I must confess that I didn't know what "magic school bus" was (I am from Slovakia (Europe)) but I googled it. Some of it's aspects and approaches are great, but I need to attract older children 
#4
11/15/2006 (12:15 pm)
The key from the educational games I've done is to make them competitive. Even if the game isn't multiplayer in the traditional sense, school kids are usually in the same room. If you put something as simple as a timer, they'll be competing instantly. The mini-game model is probably a really good one. It keeps their interest even if the actually games are annoyingly educational ;)
#5
11/15/2006 (12:49 pm)
Great idea !
#6
11/15/2006 (12:54 pm)
I think a WoW type game is way to ambitious for a school project since you're probably looking at over a year of development time. Your mini-games idea is a good one though. Perhaps just a series of challenges. First person/team to solve each challenge gets a point and then the next challenges comes on. Each game could be graphically different and can be built by different people in your class then put all together for the complete game.
#7
11/15/2006 (2:12 pm)
I don't think it is too ambitious timeframe for this project is 4 months, do you have any ideas about what should these mini-game be ? For example games built around chemistry
#8
11/15/2006 (2:15 pm)
... and of course WoW - like is only the style of game (3rd person view, fantasy world, ... ), the world in my game would be M*U*C*H smaller.
#9
11/15/2006 (10:06 pm)
A chemistry mini game? well it depends what grade we're talking but here's one off the top of my head. Give the player a molecule or molecules and the ability to pull them apart. A second molecule is required that is balanced with the first and the players have to construct it. eg. 2 H20 molecules and an S are lying there and the players needs to create a single molecule and realize it's H2S04. The could be a clue on what you're trying to make like "how can we get this water and sulphur to dissolve our skin?", "that's right! sulphuric acid!"
#10
11/16/2006 (12:27 am)
We are talking about 6,7,8 and 9th grade (13-16 yo children) 
Torque Owner Rudolf Kajan