by Annie | Aug 30, 2011 | Game Design
Finalists Named for 2011 Unity Awards Looks like Blokhead is getting a bit of love from the Unity community. We’re keeping our fingers...
by Annie | Aug 29, 2011 | Other
In the spirit of the back to school season, I’ve decided to create my own Crayola masterpiece. Not with a paintbrush, but rather, with a blow dryer. If you’ve got some crayons, glue, and canvas, try it out for yourself! Step 1: Gather supplies So many crayons, so little time. This time of year, stores are full of back to school sales, so it’s easy to find a large box of crayons for very little cost. Add to that a glue gun, fresh canvas, and blow dryer, and you’re all set to create your own masterpiece. Step 2: Attach the crayons Dump out your crayons and start sorting. Once you’ve decided on the order and placement, glue your crayons to your canvas. Step 3: Ready, set, melt! This is my favorite part. Once all your crayons are securely attached to the canvas, fire up the blow dryer. It takes a few seconds to warm up, but soon you’ll see the wax starting to melt, and then the magic happens. And voila! There you have it – a Crayola masterpiece guaranteed to brighten up any...
by Annie | Aug 24, 2011 | Game Design
I played a game today. No, it wasn’t Monopoly, Minesweeper, or Street Fighter. A few days ago, I got an Amazon gift card from my parents-in-law. So today, I played the Amazon gift card game. Curious? Here’s the high-level pitch: Play as a shopper trying to buy as many different items for a new apartment as possible while staying within the gift card amount. Rules: – Items must currently be in stock. – Shipping cost for each item cannot exceed item cost. – Bonus points for items that can be shipped together. The Result: I started out by filling up my shopping cart with over 3 times the amount of the gift card. Lots of balancing, compromising, and trading later, I ended up purchasing 8 different items for various rooms of my new apartment. In the process, I rediscovered some things I already had, prioritized my shopping list, and got a better idea of what I was looking for. The Takeaway: Anything in life can be a game. Look around you. Take any task, set a specific goal, add a few stipulations and a potential reward, and voila! You’ve got fun waiting for you around every corner. Don’t believe me? Try it out. Here are some daily tasks to get you started: – Waiting for the bus – Washing dishes – Going grocery shopping – Paying bills – Making the bed Anyone can be a game designer. Fill your life with games, and you can play even the most ordinary moments...
by Annie | Aug 12, 2011 | Education
During my two years in the classroom, I had lots of talks with my students. We discussed the fourth grade slump, the importance of fractions in daily life, and what happens when you get caught cheating. But one of the most heartbreaking talks I ever had with my students was about the achievement gap. During my first year of teaching, I had a group of very bright, talented, and eager fourth graders. They were street smart, curious, and intent on success in life. One day, during a conversation about standardized testing, one of my students pointed out that some schools seemed better than others. A brief intro to the achievement gap later, most of the class was more determined than ever to break the mold and soar above the rest. But at the back of the classroom, Ashley was in tears. It wasn’t fair, she said. Ashley was one of my best students, years above grade level in reading and very articulate. She went on to tell me about the struggles of her family and about how hard she had and would continue to work, but that it might not be enough. It’s one thing not to be able to provide a quality education to the students who are repeatedly tardy, have an arsenal of homework excuses, and cause daily disruptions in the classroom. But to look a child in the face, a child who desperately wants a good education, and to tell her that the world sometimes just isn’t fair, remains one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. If you haven’t already, consider watching the documentary...
by Annie | Aug 9, 2011 | Game Design
Think games are just a simple pastime? Think again. Around the world, game makers are creating games that continue to push the boundary in education, health, and world issues. Here are some of the things games have...
