games in education

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/akrasia/

this game is a fun way to teach kids about addiction? Kind of. I don’t know if a kid can extrapolate addiction from this specific game. When I was a kid I had no retention of the story line of the games I was playing. I think as a kid I really struggled with reading comprehension, and I don’t know if I’d understand it. However if someone does get it as  kid and understand this then good for them they’ve learned something new and that’s good!

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/detroit-become-human/

in the past I played this game. It’s an interesting storyline, however it’s a little corny with a convoluted message about AI. I think they used cheap tricks to make you feel something about the consequences of AI and how you can dehumanize robots and such. I could however see this game being a good way for people to get into discussions about the validity/ morality of using AI

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/a-blind-legend/

This was a game that I discovered YEARS ago while I had an addiction to mobile games. Finding this was quite relaxing but difficult for me. It was relaxing in the sense that I could keep my eyes closed and play but it was difficult wherein just trying to navigate around was frustrating. This game gives you a feeling of what the struggle of being blind is like in a seeing world where everyone has some advantage against you and yet you still try your best to push on and defeat any obstacle. The game revolves around you taking the role of a Blind Knight. You journey around defeating villains and navigating solely through the use of hearing.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/depression-quest/

This was quite something. I played this for around 5-10 minutes until I realized I had to stop. I only stopped because I began to felt that I was relating too much to this person and their situation. That every response they were going to make was something that I would or had said. It became quite jarring having some realization that perhaps I am either A) Depressed as well, or B) Coincidentally finding myself in similar situations and responding similarly. The former answer began to boil in my stomach and frightened me. The game is a sort of “Choose your own adventure” type of game where in you’re given a situation and you have some choices to make. Except certain more positive answers are crossed out in red. Those answers are the most logical answers and yet were the answers that felt out of reach to me and to the characters.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/data-dealer/

Data Dealer is an interactive introduction to how tech companies collect and use information. This is a great way to get people thinking about online privacy and what information they are willing to give out. I liked the game mechanics and how the game puts you in the shoes of the company trying to profit off of its customers. it provides an important understanding of why companies do what they do.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/choosing-my-way/

Choosing My Way does a great job communicating the complexities of trying to build a new life in a new place. There is no cut and dry win/lose scenario, instead there are your accomplishments over the course of the simulation. This is a great tool for building empathy.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/a-closed-world/

This game is titled “A Closed World” and was designed to deal with queer issues, something that is not often addressed in games currently. The game is designed to make you question what is “normal” and how to live in a world as your true self and what you need to do so. The game starts by explaining how  important the question of gender is and how it affects so much of our lives from how we interact to what we wear and then  has you choose your gender. I thought this game was a great idea and something that I had never thought of before. I agree that the video  game industry is hetero-normative and could stand to move in a more inclusive direction, but I had genuinely never considered it before the start of the game or reading the description. The game itself is well made for a prototype and very interesting, I got sucked right in.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/akrasia/

The second game I chose and played was called “Akrasia” and is meant to help children understand addiction and the difference that making right and wrong decisions can make. The game is a maze that is supposed to represent the mind; you enter the game and take a pill and you become an addict. You are then supposed to make different decisions that either help to become sober or lead to a stronger high. I think the concept of this game is very fascinating, but I don’t think that this is necessarily something targeted at children, or shouldn’t be. I think there are better ways to learn about addiction than playing games where being high is an option and seeing where that takes you. I think seeing it second hand where you maybe have to take care of a loved one in the game that is making the decision to either quit an addiction or fall further into it is a better game idea.  Then you see the effects and the difficulty that is beating an addiction without having one yourself.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/a-blind-legend/

This game I came across is called A Blind Legend. This game is created to give those who are blind a chance to play video games. Its an audio only game that creates a storyline that you can visualize with the intense sounds. The game seems to be a very thoughout game to creates such experiences for those that are visually impaired. The game is available across mobile and computer systems as well.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/auti-sim/

This game explains what an autistic child goes through, things such as auditory hypersensitivity. This game really made me understand what is going on through a child with autism and why they have such actions. I  have a cousin who has a very aggressive autism and this makes me understand why certain noises and things trigger him to get frustrated. Knowing that everything goes into a blur makes me realize that autism has alot to do with our senses.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/80-days/

 (Links to an external site.)I played this game for 80 Days. I think it’s very interesting and educational because we can understand the great events in the 19th century. As well as the local conditions and customs of various countries in the world at that time. This pair of historical knowledge and geographical knowledge. If I have children, I think we can finish the game together and I will tell him some relevant knowledge in the process. I think it will be very meaningful.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/hellblade-senuas-sacrifice

The game that I selected is a game I just finished on my Xbox called Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice. This game I find very important since it makes you experience what life is like for someone with schizophrenia. This is one of the few video games I highly recommend to anyone, whether they are a casual gamer or someone seeking a more serious experience. This game utilizes audio cues in the form of schizophrenic voices speaking to you to help defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and explore the world. It also goes through the story of a young woman who is suffering with schizophrenia but since mental health was nonexistent back then she is seen as a shaman. It also provides a very inciting and accurate version of the Norse myths.

I think a game like this is very important today as disorders like schizophrenia keep getting bad press, making those that suffer from it seem like people that should be outcasts in society or locking them up in a facility where they will stay their whole life. This game properly teaches people what it is actually like to have voices in your head that you have no control over.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/80-days

I love the concept of this game.  American students are HORRIBLE at geography and I think this game could really help with that.

It has a very “real world” feel and presents a lot of good information to students as they explore and plot their course around the world.  I tried a few other games, but wasn’t able to get in because there was a cost to the game.  😦

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/3rd-world-farmer/

I feel like the futility of the loss in this game can be very sad. You can tell that there are places in the real world where people are going through an experience like this every day, and one missed crop can mean the difference between life and death. I feel that it’s good for people to play this, as people can experience some empathy from the struggle to survive in this game.

http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/akrasia.php

The description for this game is the abstract concept of addiction. This game is interesting because you enter the game as an “addict” and plays all these games.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/admongo/

If I was a parent I would have my kid play this game, Admongo. The characters are very childish and cute and provides quality information.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/what-remains-of-edith-finch/

What Remains of Edith of Finch

I have actually been meaning to play this game for a long time now and it was really great seeing it on this list. The game is about going through the lives of different family members of the Finch family and ultimately seeing their family curse.  A game designed to touch on the topics of empathy and morality. I would definitely recommend checking this out!

http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/akrasia.php

This game deals with addiction and what happens when quitting and going cold turkey. The game varies depending on what the player choses to go through with and having to deal with the consequences. Its a good game to teach that there are cause and affect to ones actions. Its good for kids to learn about what comes along with addiction and where that life can lead you to.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/1979-revolution-black-friday/

In this game you are in Iran in the 1970’s and you are a character that is a journalist and having to make important decisions that will lead you down a certain road. Its a good game that allows kids to be in the shoes of some one in a critical point in time and understanding what one is going through when dealing with such circumstances.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/admongo/

Although the website said that the game is too out of date for me to play, they had a text version of the game that is still able to be played. This game basically teaches you how to understand the advertisements you would see in your daily life; from ads on a bus to even magazines. I think it’s good to teach and inform everyone that we are constantly given advertisements by companies even though we dont realize it.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/3rd-world-farmer/

This game was hard. It reminded me of the lack of empathy I can have when I am not in close proximity to a problem. As a 3rd world farmer, you develop your drastically under resourced farm, frequently failing, to be honest. It seems like the game is rigged, but maybe that is the point.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/a-blind-legend/

A Blind Legend is a chivalric adventure, set in a familiar world – inspired by the medieval era and its literature (King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table) – with a touch of fantasy.
The tale takes the form of journey during which the hero must traverse a wide range of landscapes and meet characters that will help or obstruct his quest. this game is good to explain kids how the blind people lives through their life.

http://www.gamesforchange.org/game/myobeatz/

MyoBeatz is a music-based rhythm game for neuromuscular prosthesis training. A Myo armband detects muscle contractions using electrodes. Amputation patients gradually improve control over their future arm prostheses by flexing the muscles left at the stump in time with visuals cues and in rhythm with popular pieces of music.

https://www.thinkfun.com/play-online/code-master/ (Links to an external site.)

Its nice that you can actually start teaching kids programming when they are little. I wish someone showed me that path when I was a kid, I could be a programmer today. This is important to teach with games, then they don’t know they are learning and it is easier to convince them .

What Remains of Edith Finch

I tried out ” what Remains Of Edith Finch” and it brings back the feeling of living a book while reading it by using our own imagination. the problem with educational games is that sometimes the creators makes you learn what they want you to learn and sometimes it could be false information or a false message.