GeoGAMING

Updated November 2007

There are lots of games with a geographical background or subtext which could be of use in the classroom to inject a bit of excitement (not that we need it as we teach geography already !) A useful article on this subject entitled 'PLAYTIME IN THE CLASSROOM' was published in The Guardian's ONLINE supplement on 2nd June 2005, and may still be available at their site.

The article led me to the website of PERSUASIVE GAMES. They have a weblog called WATER COOLER GAMES. This has some interesting links and led me to some of the content which appears below. For most of this, I am indebted to the work of Tony Cassidy.

Risk and Diplomacy are both based on maps of the world (or parts of it...) The size and position of the countries influences the tactics in the game, but it is apparently possible to win with any country or territory.

MONOPOLY

Monopoly was originally based on Atlantic City, USA, but the classic UK version is based on streets in London. Tim Moore's excellent book: 'DO NOT PASS GO' is an exploration of those streets. A humorous quotation is to be found in the LONELY PLANET guide to EXPERIMENTAL TRAVEL.

Of course, there is now a plethora of themed Monopoly games: I have a copy of YORKSHIRE Monopoly. Monopoly recently went online with MONOPOLY LIVE. This linked technology with geography by equipping a number of taxis with GPS units. These log the routes that the taxis take. Players (free - just register...) have some money to spend buying virtual property, and putting virtual hotels and apartments on them. Depending on where the taxis go, money is added to your account. I am currently doing rather poorly at it....

Some games are very localised. I have a copy of the CHATSWORTH board game for example - who knows, it may be a collectors edition. Based on the gardens of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, to which I was a frequent visitor as a callow youth...

Why not get your students to create a monopoly board of the area where you live / teach ? They could justify why certain streets are worth more than others. What criteria are they using to establish the value of the place ?

This task will be aided by using the rather wonderful resource available from MONOPOLY LIVE. It features a checklist for you to plan your 'replacements' for the classic properties.

Download the information from the UK MYMONOPOLY site.

Recently wanted to develop this further, and discovered some useful additional sites: check out my new MONOPOLY page.

Speaking of Geography games, has anyone else ever heard of 'THE WORLD ACCORDING TO UBI'. I think I may be the only person I know who has even heard of this game, let alone own a copy. The game is fab, but it relies on people having fairly detailed geographical knowledge of the location of places, and without that it gets rather frustrating. I shall add some more on this when I get the chance.

Civilization has been going for years in various incarnations.

SIM CITY is another game with an element of planning.

There was a good article in PC FORMAT recently which looked at the idea of 'MODDING': or modification. This gave ideas for adding new maps and islands to the base map for games. Students could explore creating their own landscapes. This is in the same vein as the map editor at the ATLAS OF EXPERIENCE website, where you can add your own names as place names on a map of an area to establish a themed landscape.

AGE OF EMPIRES has a similar theme, where resources have to be extracted to fund military expansion. The new version AoE III has just been released. I shall write more on this when I get a chance to have a play.

Noel Jenkins is exploring a similar idea using FREE (my favourite price) GENESIS II software to create virtual islands based on scanned maps of islands.

Also recently put onto a piece of software which uses the GENESIS engine by Fred Martin. Sadly I have no time to explore this further at the moment.

A bulky download from the WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME website will get you a copy of FOOD FORCE. Click the image below to go to the DOWNLOAD page and read more about the game.

Why not check out the website of FOOD FORCE for more information.

REAL LIVES

This is a superb game. You can download a FREE TRIAL version from EDUCATIONAL SIMULATIONS website. It features a host of detail o countries. The website also offers lesson plans and other ideas for using this with pupils. Just $25 (which is not a lot given current exchange rates) gives you the key to unlock for personal use, and versions for larger scale use are available at different prices.

For my first game, I was given the life of a young Romanian girl.

With the full version you have access to thousands of people, name choices, country locations, interests and pathways.  By putting themselves into the lives of others they can explore what life is like for other people in other parts of the world.

For the first few years of life, you are at the mercy of the family conditions and those of the country which you find yourself in. Your health will wax and wane, and your family may move house, or job several times.

You can save your life as you go, or can also go back in time, perhaps to change some of the decisions you made earlier. The screen allows you to see a MAP of the area and also shows the progress as you journey through life. How successful can you become. Can you stay alive ? There is a useful set of additional resources for the game. New features include a Character Designer where you can control where you are born, and whether as a boy or a girl. Also allows you to adopt children.

Christian Aid have a similar idea in their LIFE SWITCH site.

Thanks to Jeff Ingham for contacting me regarding the TEACHERS DIRECT site, which now offers a chance to create WORDSEARCHES and BLOCKBUSTERS style games. Here are the links...

JENGA is a good way of teaching sustainability. You can't keep taking bricks away from the bottom and adding them at the top without the tower falling over. Need to put some bricks back at the bottom to postpone the collapse, or prevent it altogether...

TONY CASSIDY has some ideas for using a magnetic DARTBOARD: you can't beat 'a bit of bully'.... They can be linked to powerpoints with 20 images. Or some link to population structure.

Also JIGSAWS. Do they count as games ? I think perhaps they do...

Head over to PUZZLE CREATOR: get the free evaluation version of the software (or buy the full version) and you can create a jigsaw from one of your pictures and then send it to someone to try to make...

From time to time, publishers release games based on exciting themes such as RECYCLING and SAVING THE PLANET....

I also bought some nice toy EUROs from a toy shop to use as a resource when teaching the EU.

SETERRA: From the makers of Sebran, which my children like.

http://www.wartoft.nu/software/seterra/

Russell Tarr of Active History fame has now added some games and ideas (some good Holbeck Hall ones...) to ACTIVE GEOGRAPHY.

Thanks to Jon Payne for telling me about GEOPLUNGE.

A new game for November 2007 is AGAINST THE ODDS.

Choose a character and investigate the issue of migration in a resource produced by the UNHCR.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

An interactive game which explores migration.

Designed by the UNHCR

Over 20 years ago now, I was a student and a friend I made at that time has just released a book through the O' Brien press, which you can order through AMAZON. It is called EPIC, and is all about a society where wealth is determined by how well people play in a huge 'online' game. If you know a teenager (or still act like one sometimes) buy a copy for them (or yourself)

Also out now, the sequel SAGA.

'GAMESHOW GEOGRAPHY'

"You can't beat a bit of bully"  - Jim Bowen

Of course, the final category on this page is one which people have used for some time to add a bit of interest to lessons. These formats are copyrighted by the various production companies, but the purpose of these homages is not to copy the format and make money and TV programmes, but to build on the popularity of the show and engage pupils.

Here are some of the gameshows which have been adapted to find a use in the Geography classroom.

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE

This is a useful format for quizzes for end of topic tests. There are a number of places where one can find similar ideas which have been developed by teachers.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/peter.robinson217/millionaire/worldquiz1.html
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/peter.robinson217/millionaire/millionweather.html

thanks to Peterl Robinson from Kenmay Academy in Aberdeen for sending these to me. Try to get to £1 million without using your lifelines...
BULLSEYE

You can't beat a bit of bully. Tony Cassidy has produced some Bullseye resources. Get hold of a magnetic dartboard from a cheap factory warehouse type shop. I got mine for £2.99

Put some questions on a dartboard backing, and ask the relevant question, or highest score gets the chance to answer a question for some points. And what do points make ??

BLOCKBUSTERS

Want a good idea ? Why not head over to BURNT CAKES. This is a rather good History site... no that's not an oxymoron, there are some fabulous sites for subjects other than Geography. The site has some ideas for developing games as educational resources.

FAMILY FORTUNES

THE WEAKEST LINK

Want to research more game shows to adapt ?

A fab website all about game shows (and there are flipping hundreds of them) is UK GAME SHOWS.

You should also be able to find mp3 files of the theme tunes and other incidental music to add to powerpoints. These are available all legal and above board.

I shall be adding more on these over the next few months. It's a rather good vehicle for delivering content. If anyone has anything to add please let me know...

One place to go for GAMESHOW IDEAS is the website of the 'gamesmaster' TONY CASSIDY. He has just added a zipped file which contains a template for the old 'European integration' quiz with Henry Kelly: GOING FOR GOLD.

HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU

There are a number of ideas which can be adapted from the programme.

In 2005, we used an idea adapted from the final HEADLINES round to provide a number of ideas at a session at the GA Conference.

CONTENT GENERATOR is Andrew Field's site which has some excellent free games and others for download. These are also starting to appear on a number of geography websites.

They include a whole range of games and activities, and a bit of searching will find some for you.

http://www.hulltrinity.net/curriculum/geography/index.htm for a page of example games made with the software at Trinity House School in Hull

Ollie Bray's WEBLOG has lots of examples of how he uses computer games in the classroom and also in the school at lunchtimes in order to provide a focus for learning (and to keep students occupied...)

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