Educational Games Test

The first game I played was 3rd World Farmer. It is made for ages 11 and up. Players are being taught how to manage a farm, how poverty and conflicts (civil war, bad harvest) can effect the farm, and also how to manage money. The game does depict real hardships of 3rd world countries. If one thing goes wrong in the game it can cause many hardships for families in these countries. It can be used to teach children about these issues. The would be more challenging if you could manage more than one family at time.

The second game I played was Pirates of the Preamble It is made for ages 13 and up. The game is trying to teach players about U.S. history and government. If you answer a question incorrectly twice you have to start over. There are internet sources provided to seek answers from. The game is set up to be like a pirate treasure hunt and you find "X marks the spot" after correctly answering a question. The game was a bit challenging for me. I had to look up the answers to some of the questions. Better rewards could be given for answering a question correctly.

The third game I played was Consumer Consequences. It is made for ages 16 and up. The game asks you questions about things most people do on a daily basis such as, driving a car, eating out, and buying new clothes. Your answers determine how bad your everyday habits harm the environment. Americans make up 5% of the world but use 25% of its energy resources. The game explains that how if everyone on Earth lived like you, how many more Earths would it take to accommodate them. I didn't feel Consumer Consequence was much of a game. It was more like a questionnaire that showed the results as you went along.

The last game I played was Bumble Numbers It is made for ages 5 to 12. The object of the game is grab numbers with a bee and pollinate flowers that have math problems on them. You have to drop them in the correct flower while avoiding a mosquito. The game is great for teaching kids additions. They are challenged by the problems are dodging the mosquito. The only suggestions I have would be to make the levels longer.