The player helps "Team Q" solve mysteries of disappearing artifacts from the Mayan Empire. The game is geared toward those 11+. My 13 year old son jumped at the chance to try out a new game.
I was very impressed at how much information there was as the game progressed. Just some of the topics included Archaeology basics such as tools and excavation, Mayan calendars, tradition, Central American geography and the Mayan math system. There are so many hyperlinks that each student's experience with the game can be truly unique according to what he/she would like to learn more about.
As the player "travels" to different dig sites or temples, they are learning about Mayan Civilizations and culture and don't even realize it! Kiddo #2 enjoyed playing the game each day and I was impressed about how much he learned while having fun. Isn't it wonderful when learning can be fun? :-) Kiddo can be quite competitive and definitely wanted to conquer the quizzes and challenges and get to each new "dig."
As a mom and teacher, I liked that students as they are playing, are receiving a study of Mayan civilization and culture while they are being engaged in activities that challenge them in geography, science, math and reading.
I also was pleased to see that there was an encyclopedia in the game that allows the player to delve deeper into issues such as government, farming and Mayan beliefs about calendars and time.
I'm sure your students would enjoy this as a supplement to their studies of ancient cultures. Dig-It Games also offers a Roman civilization version, which I'm confident is as fun and educational as Mayan Mysteries. I am a true believer that real learning occurs when it is hands-on, fun and relevant for the student. Many children today are skilled at and love playing video games. Why not use that interest and aptitude to achieve an educational objective? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Awesome work, Dig-it Games! :-)
The game is available online for $21.99 or as an IPad app for $9.99.
1 comment:
Sounds very cool and intriguing!
Post a Comment