game_for_learning

[Heinz GÖD <heinz.goed@austro.net>]

Bregenz, 12.10.1999

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the internet I found the LGDC and the „Mailing List", with one 
purpose: Discussing ideas for new
games.
One of my hobbies is efficient learning. On that occasion I got some 
ideas to computer games for
learning „boring" syllabus, who is dividable into short 
learning-portions, p.e. orthography,  dates in
history, formulas in chemistry,....
One of these games is described further on the text.
25 years ago I wrote computer programs by myself (especially FORTRAN), 
but that is not enough for today
and therefore I am seeking people, who would like carry out this project 
with me. I contact You because
I like the philosophy of LINUX and because I believe that the game goes 
well with LINUX.
To be fair to You I have to say that I had offered the idea at first to 
EduGames then to Microsoft -
both in the internet established as game developers, LINUX and his 
philosophy I found later — but both
didn’t answer - I suspected this and therefore I had safeguarded the 
copyrights by a publication before.
I would be glad, if You had the time to a short reply.

E-mail:    heinz.goed@austro.net
(or
 Heinz GÖD
 Vorklostergasse 45
 A-6900 Bregenz
 AUSTRIA                 )

Sincerely
                        Göd


SNAKE: a Learn ‘n’Play-System for „boring" syllabus
Snake (= symbol for the convolutions of brain) devours the 
learning-portions.

It is a system for learning and consists of 3 parts.
PART1: The learner edits the needed learning-portions, p.e. game=das 
Spiel...,HCl=hydrochloric
acid...,753v*Rome..., either typed by himself (and checked by a 
background-program) or copied from a
memory.
PART2: Game
The learning-portion will be played at random on a patch of a labyrinth. 
The learner has to get a snake
from a ‘pool of snakes’ and he has to steer the snake so, that the snake 
devours the learning-portion.
If the snake approaches the learning-portion, the learning-portion hops 
or jumps away or vaults the
snake — it is also difficult to catch the learning-portion , that gives 
the possibility of more levels.
As soon as the learner is succeeded in devouring a learning-portion the 
following one will be inserted
in another place of the labyrinth and the learner has to devour this 
learning-pörtion too...and so on.
If the snake knocks her head on the wall of the labyrinth, so the snake 
is unconscious for a time
(p.e.10 sec) and the learning-portion grows and flashes during this time 
( the aim of the game is to
learn the learning-portion! ). If the learner doesn’t want to wait, so he 
can get another snake from the
‘snake-pool’ and can continue the game. As soon as the „old" snake awakes 
from her unconsciousness, she
creeps slowly steered by the computer through the labyrinth. If the 
learner touches this „old" snake
with „his" snake, the two snakes struggle a certain time (p.e.10 sec) and 
the learning-portion grows and
flashes during this time. The learner has the choice to wait or to get 
another snake....To eliminate
snakes the player has to bite with „his" snake into the tail of the other 
snake.
The skilfuller the learner is, the faster he has devoured all 
learning-portions with „his" snake — and
probably with his brain too.
PART3: With an examination program the level of knowledge will be tested, 
on that occasion the
learning-portions will be putted in a row according an algorithm and the 
reliably known
learning-portions will be eliminated.
Details: The walls of the labyrinth simply lines with soft color, the 
learning-portions must stick out,
the snake has to force down the learning-portion slowly — character by 
character and transparent (so
that the entire learning-portion is visible).

Learning-systems of this manner are favorable — in my view — because they 
join work with game (reward) —
in which will be learned too — and because reliably known 
learning-portions will not repeated
unnecessarily. I think that the parents take up positively such 
Learn’n’Play-Sytems.

That’s only an outline.
If You are interested in this idea, I like sending to You a description 
with more details.