Maker here. Let me explain exactly why this educational game is cool.
Who remembers what Avogadro’s constant is for? Almost nobody.
But those who played Super Mario Bros remember vividly that you can kill Goomba mushroom by jumping on top of it. So this is the idea. If you play with something you interact with it a lot. You do it willingly, and have fun. And you remember the game mechanics very well. And if game’s mechanics use science concept you’ll remember it very well.
So I've made this app which includes a series of mini-games. Like a game when you need to change the temperature by changing the speed of particles to solve the task.
It is quite simple and beautiful so I don't understand why almost everybody else does it wrong. When it comes to STEM all the educational apps are mere textbooks with grey-haired mad professors jumping on the screen. Will adding a mad professor to a textbook make it fun? I don’t think so.
«I think there is a deep poetic satisfaction in the scientific understanding of the universe» said Richard Dawkins. I am trying to convey this feeling through a game. I am not trying to make flasks and professors look cute. This is the difference.
We had ten boxes sized from one meter to one nanometer, seventy-five pellets of atoms and molecules, one elephant, one meerkat and one dolphin, a salt shaker half full of stargas and whole galaxy to play with.
Not that we needed all that for the educational game, but once you get locked into serious science, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.
A new version more suitable for kids with special needs is coming soon!
@dannyrichman Oh yes, there are!
-- Do you want to know how aircon makes air cooler? I'll explain.
-- Shut up! It's magic!
Seriously, modern schools are boring. So some people dislike anything that sounds remotely scientific because it reminds them of physics lessons, etc.
Report
@gubarev Hmmm. I'm not sure those people hate science. They just hate the way it was taught to them.
@dannyrichman Yes, they way it was taught. I really want to create some other way. To show how exciting science can be.
Let me quote the brilliant book by Daniel Kahneman: "Those who dislike the method consider it mechanical, atomistic, additive, cut and dried, artificial, unreal, arbitrary, incomplete, dead, pedantic, fractionated, trivial, forced, static, superficial, rigid, sterile, academic, oversimplified, pseudoscientific, and blind."
It would be great if we could remove the image of science as something 'mechanical, dry, dead, pedantic'. I believe modern games could be of great help. And that's what my project is about.
Report
@gubarev Completely with you and support anything that makes science more accessible.
All I take issue with is your strapline, "Science for those who hate science". I doubt that this would resonant with many people; even those that were taught badly.
I suggest you test this strapline on more people in your target market.
@dannyrichman Yes, you made me think more about it. Thank you! I just thought the strapline would be more interesting or provocative than "For the kids who hate go to school" or something.
Hi Nano
Hi Nano
Hi Nano
Hi Nano
Hi Nano
Hi Nano
Hi Nano