The Library Game is here!

Turn library literacy into a game with the ultimate library scavenger hunt!

Play as a team of experts in a particular archetype (from alchemists to zoologists and everything in between) as you solve problems that have been submitted to the Archivist!

Where does the library come in? You search for resources to find words that will help you or your team create a story. Learn about library organization, the difference between fiction and nonfiction shelves, and other resources your library provides by exploring!

Or, if you're looking for a more relaxed day in the stacks, try out the Early Literacy Edition for free! Pick up books, movies, and more, find words you like, and string them together in a story of your own invention. Archivist-free adventuring!

Whatever your style, find The Library Game at the link below, and share the stories you tell together! The Archivist awaits you.

Castle of Dr. Brain (DOS, Sierra, 1991)

A puzzle collection disguised as a point-and-click adventure game. You can play it in your browser here.

Right-click to change actions, and don't forget your inventory (though many object uses are automatic). You'll also need this (also archived here) - the scanning's a little smeared but still readable.

Are educational games effective? How I use Games as Instructional Content

This post aims to spark conversation and inspire further exploration into the effective integration of games in educational contexts. Twitter Patreon GitHub LinkedIn YouTube In the vast landscape of education, the effectiveness of games as instructional content remains a subject of vibrant discussion and exploration. The question isn’t just whether educational games are effective, but how…

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Let’s find more reasons why we should choose the old version of the game

As someone who's always wanted to play a musical instrument as kid(and an adult) but, struggled with recognizing musical notes, this looks cute and helpful.

My only comment I'd make would be that it would be good if the dev released a demo. Doesn't have to be a big demo maybe only a level or two. But I think that would help with interest. I'd love to see it.

Listen, you should never film strangers in public without their consent, but I swear there need to be fines or something for people who do that shit in some spaces. For example: I had to go to the ER last night, and some jerk filmed a woman who just came in and was clearly having an asthma attack. She immediately got to go back, and he was unhappy about that. Believe me, I get that it sucks having to wait when you're in pain, but you don't get to pick who deserves care when. The medical system in the US is a nightmare, and the ER could be the worst moment of someone's life. No one deserves to be recorded because some jack ass believes someone doesn't look like they need care.

This is fine to reblog. People who film strangers should be shamed if nothing else.

Magnet Mayhem (Android) Game Review

Magnet Mayhem is a physics-based puzzle game for Android Smart Phones, and a neat thing about it is that my friend Noel was one of the developers! Regardless of that fact, I will try to be unbiased in my review. ;)

The game has three separate worlds, separated by difficulty. As a disclaimer, I never managed to actually complete this game - but I did get pretty far into the third "hard" world, so I've experienced most of it, at-least. Your goal is to get your metal puck to slide into the goal, as explained by the game's robotic guide. At first the only tool you have is choosing the timing, direction and momentum at which you swipe the puck with your finger. As you progress further, though, you'll eventually get different types of magnets that can be placed at key locations on the puzzle board. The first kind you'll get are "static" ones, which remain either positive or negative the entire time your puck is moving, and can only be changed after restarting a round. Later, you'll get special magnets that can be changed even while the puck is moving, allowing for more complex strategies such as pushing and pulling the puck from a single location.

The game-play is pretty solid, though because it is physics based it did get frustrating at times for me. Nevertheless, I persevered quite far in the game and enjoyed the satisfaction of every puzzle I cleared. I do not own a stylus for my phone, but I speculate that if you have one, it may help make the game a little easier as you may not have to worry your fingers fumbling as you swipe the puck or try to quickly change a magnets charge (causing your fingers to cover part of the screen).

As for criticisms, outside of how difficult it could be at times, I did sometimes encounter a bug in the game where I would change a magnets type and the game would leave the old magnet underneath the new one, make a weird anomalous magnet that is trying to both push and pull the puck at the same time! Luckily, since it possible to restart at any time and the game saves your progress after every puzzle you clear, this bug is a minor issue.

Visually, the game looks simple but very clean, which is good for a game where you need to be always thinking about how you're going to direct your little puck around. The background music is a very chill electronic tune, which I found helped me to get "into the zone" and likely also helped me be a bit more relaxed on the game's more difficult stages.

Overall, I do recommend the game! It's free, and unlike many phone games out there, is devoid of any micro-transactions, grinding or similar sleaze (that alone deserves praise in today's game market). It can get very difficult at times so I do recommend taking a break from the game and coming back later if you get stuck on a hard puzzle - but if you keep at it, maybe you can get even farther than I did and see what's at the end!

You can get the game free here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cellecgames.magnetmayhem&hl=en_CA

And you can view a gameplay sample I recorded here: https://youtu.be/uHNePNROtXg

Game Design and Veterinary: Simulating Animal Care and Rehabilitation

Check out my latest blog article on the convergence of game design and veterinary science! Discover how we can simulate animal care and rehabilitation through immersive gaming experiences. #GameDesign #VeterinaryScience #AnimalCare #AdobeFirefly

Introduction Today, I want to explore a fascinating crossover between game design and veterinary science. While it might seem unconventional at first, the idea of simulating animal care and rehabilitation through games holds immense potential. Not only can it provide an engaging and educational experience for players, but it can also contribute to our understanding of veterinary medicine and…

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Typing Racing Game

Make your typing fast, visit: https://onlinetyping.org/typing-games/typing-racing-game/

I'll bet you didn't see this on TV? 🤔

Okay, look, I've been in college for two years and my Biology professor has pretty significantly rooted this educational science game called Labster into her course.

I was not expecting to be playing Portal all day for school.

Yeah, this is a full, 360 sci-fi free roam lab environment that you can pretty much do whatever you want in. You know those cruddy flash game experiments you used to do in middle school? Those are a thing of the past.

And check this: the entire lab is being run by this super cool AI droid named Dr. One

She floats around and directs you around the lab depending on the lesson you're taking and sounds eerily similar to GLaDOS. It turns out that Dr. One also has a lore page and that she was created originally for "unethical purposes."

Also, this environment is extremely detailed and even runs shaders and ambient occlusion in your web browser.

That's pretty nuts, considering the only time we ever see these things are built into genuine video games, not a web browser lab. It runs incredibly smoothly on my GTX 1050.

This is insanely impressive and I actually enjoyed my homework today. 10/10, would play this in my free time.

Snow Day?

Have some fun with Whither & Whence! Imagine your way to Granny's without having to brave the icy roads, or measure your path in heel-to-toe steps in the snow. And don't forget to finish with a tasty treat like hot cocoa or snow cream! Start your snow day adventure at https://open-story-games.itch.io/whither-whence

King Arthur’s Magic Castle (Classic Mac, Orange Cherry Software, 1993)

You can play it in your browser here.

Self-Determination Theory in the State of Game Studies - Motivations for Video Game Play and Political Decision-Making: Evidence from Four Countries

This week I read over several papers on motivation design and encouraging participation among students. You see, games require motivated participants involved in an objective voluntarily. That’s a hell of a triumph! One of the articles that stands out hails from a multinational survey on decision-making and player motivation -> Game Studies – Motivations for Video Game Play And Political…

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Toca Boca MOD APK is taken from a series of Toca Life that includes several projects to boost children’s creativity.

74 year old claims to be UK's oldest app creator

74 year old claims to be UK's oldest app creator | Graham Jaggers has launched a free word game called 'NE-lite' #Leeds #Apps #WordGames

A 74 year old man based in Leeds has dubbed himself “the UK’s oldest app creator” after turning a word game he played at school into an app. Graham Jaggers has been fanatical about word games for over 60 years, and decided to create one of his own during lockdown. He has launched the new free app which is called ‘The Never-Ending Game’ and published as ‘NE-lite’. It is based on a word game…

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