Immersive learning is the best way to convey a concept to kids (and adults!). In the educational games I design, the player is a character in the story unlocking new information as part of the play, and whenever possible, additional learning is embedded as a secondary sneak-in.
Subscribers to Little Passports receive a monthly box including a souvenir and letter from characters Sam and Sofia sharing stories about their travels to the month’s featured country. I couldn’t help but wonder, how can we make the kids feel like they traveled to these places themselves? This was the kernel that drove me to design the Where To? board game. In it, players travel the world meeting up with Sam and Sofia in various locations. The board is a world map, and the goal is the be the first player to visit 5 specific destinations around it while the Traveler’s Luck cards change your course. The game has additional learning through reference to the equator, cardinal directions, and the fact that the board connects at the sides like the spherical Earth.
At LeapFrog I was part of a team producing games for the LeapPad Ultra. I collaborated with curriculum specialists, game designers, programmers, and art directors to create immersive educational tablet games for kids.
Tablet games I helped produce: Arturo’s Bug Adventures, Secret Agent U, Stretchy Monkey: Swinging Through Time.
CONSOLE GAMES
Creating interactive console games for LeapTV was a really fun challenge. The software for this new platform was being developed as we created the games. The LeapTV controls were activated by movement via a camera or with a handheld controller.
LeapTV Console games I helped produce: Dance & Learn, Sports!, Toast Critters: Letter Go-Getters, and Mr. Pencil presents DoodleCraft.
