I’m always on the lookout for games that a great for kids, especially when they have learning built into them. I’m not talking about learning games as such; they often are something like edutainment which contains learning tasks “sugarcoated with game characteristics in a rash attempt to create a serious game” (Charsky 2010 p. 193). What I’m interested in is “commercial” games, often designed with kids in mind (if not designed explicitly for kids) which employ such outstanding game design that they stand as models of game-based learning.
World of Goois one of these games (and is hugely successful, having sold 1 million copies on the iOS). Originally published on PC in 2009, the iPad port regularly appears in lists of best iPad games. Even though it is a port, it is possibly even better on the Ipad: although we might not have as much control as a mouse offers, there is a physicality to the game that comes through better with a touchscreen. Basically it’s a problem-solving game with a loose plot: the player controls little bits of “goo” that must be used to build a tower, bridge, or vehicle in order to defy gravity and overcome obstacles to a pipe/destination. A variety of environments, threats and gameplay mechanics in the form of different goo characteristics (some only droop, some catch fire) provides variety enough for five worlds and a total of forty-eight levels.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":690913,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"gbunfiltered,","session":"A"}']So why is it so great for kids? Well, for starters it is insufferably cute. It’s hard to imagine little blobs of goo as cute, but with their puppy-dogs eyes and their squeaks of joy or fear when activated it’s hard to avoid. The world oozes the type of crafty-ey fuzziness that works, but seems a little passé after Little Big Planet, and mostly the experiences of failure are pretty muted, with lots of second chances in the form of time bugs which allow you to take back the last move. The controls are simple and intuitive and the game encourages lots of trial-and-error experimentation, and allows players to just explore and build both in standard levels as well as a sandbox area, the “World of Goo Corporation”. So it’s accessible and safe, but it’s particularly good because it is about learning.
To start with, the game builds fine motor skills and engagement with technology, no matter what format. Also, it’s a problem-solving game; there is always a clear goal with obstacles which emerge naturally from the gameplay. This is a stark contrast to an artificial laboratory of learning, where students are test-subjects placed in a controlled petri-dish of educational design. There is a lot to be said for this kind of emergent learning, and now-dominant theories of engagement are testament to this. Crucially, it encourages a strategic approach to problem-solving: to succeed, players need to identify the goal, resources, obstacles, and potential paths to completion. Working together, players can help and support each other and learn, effectively, in groups.
Most importantly, however, World of Goo is a physics puzzler, so it can help kids take their first steps towards understanding the principles of, for instance, engineering. To build a tall tower which doesn’t collapse it is necessary to establish a broad base; a bridge with insufficient structural support underneath will collapse, and a certain number of balloons are required to counter the gravitational effect of a given structure. With some informed instruction, the learning in the game can become much more powerful: for example, the principle of torque can be explored and even experienced with long structures, balloons, and the effect of a number of goo balls at one end or the other of a shaft. One could even explore the more detailed principles of rotational motion if formal learning were integrated with the game. And the best thing is – it’s fun, and kids will slaver to learn in this mode.
Some levels are probably less accessible for younger kids, but they can be skipped, and kids of all ages will enjoy learning about physics even if they don’t reach the goals. All up, World of Goo wonderfully demonstrates some of the key learning principles outlined by James Paul Gee (2007): get it for yourself, get it for your kids, and learn with goo.
Charsky, D., 2010. From Edutainment to Serious Games: A Change in the Use of Game Characteristics. Games and Culture, 5(2), pp.177 -198.
Gee, J.P., 2007. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Revised and Updated Edition), New York: Palgrave Macmillan.