Session 1: Before Playing | 15-30 minutes.
There are three types of online national geographic kids’ games: Puzzle, Action and Adventure, and Funny Fill-In.
The good thing about this game was that I could play educational games based on various themes and cultures. First, the Matching Gemstones and Maze Oceans games in the Puzzle field looked interesting because I could match the jewels that I liked and the process of observing creatures in the sea and finding their way seemed fun. In the second action part, traveling to eight planets while exploring the universe through Space Explorer looked spectacular. Making a story using various words in the third part Funny Fill-In also looked enjoyable. It took concentration and fine and gross motor skills to play this game. Also, it was necessary to have the ability to understand various parts of speech and sentence structure to make sentences.
Session Fieldnotes: Before playing the game, the image that represents the game well and the words and phrases ‘popular’ and ‘play now’ stood out, so it looked interesting.
Session 2: Solo Playthrough | 45 to 60 minutes
Puzzles: Matching: Gemstones
Descriptive notes: First, the Matching Gemstones games in the Puzzle field were fun. There were three levels of this game, which were matching pairs, spotting the difference, and what goes together? and I played the medium level. When I played the medium level, there were Pearl, Jade, Turquoise, Opal, Diamond, Yellow Topaz, Sapphire, etc., and it was useful that I could know gemstone facts while playing this game. In addition, there were also other gemstones like Aquamarine, Peridot, Tourmaline, Alexandrite, and Ruby. It was fun to find the differences between the two pictures and focus on finding them.
Analytic notes: There were three options to play, and matching pairs and what goes together were very similar in that the player had to match the same pictures; however, the difference was that what goes together includes matching raw gemstones with real polished gemstones. It was beneficial to know and match facts about various kinds of precious gemstones as learning and finding different parts. While playing the medium level, as the level gradually went up, the photos and gems that had to match the pictures of the same gem became more diverse. There was no gender, class, race, or violence in this game because it’s an educational game. By playing this game, I learned to have visual and short-term memories. By remembering the same patterns of gemstones, I learned how to focus while playing this game. It was unique to play the jewelry game which has value and scarcity.
Affective notes: While I was playing this, I was surprised to know that there were many types of gemstones and interested in matching gemstone pairs. Nobody played the Matching Gemstones on YouTube, and I was the first person to play this game and upload it on YouTube. It’s a significant educational game.
Session Fieldnotes: It was an educational game where I could learn various facts about gemstones.
Puzzles: Maze: Oceans
Descriptive notes: I played this Maze: Oceans game from level 1 to level 20 passing through various mazes. Jellyfish brightened the dark path and passed through the mazes with the help of marine organisms. As the level went up, the mazes became more complicated, and there were more obstacles, so I was startled, but as I went up, the process of passing through the complex mazes and entering the entrance was quite fun.
Analytic notes: I think it will be great for both children and adults who are interested in marine life and the sea can play games before or after they encounter the actual sea. From level 1 to level 6, the journey to meet the other dolphins was short and simple, and there were not many obstacles. From levels 7 to 8, dolphins had to get fish to light the ways with jellyfish, and the mazes became more complicated. From level 9 to 20, more parts had to go through the mazes through the whirlpools. The journey to meet the other dolphins over obstacles was more complicated and longer. There was no gender, class, race, or violence in this game because it’s an educational game.
Affective notes: It reminded me of my field trip to California when I was in middle school and brought back my memories and nostalgia. It was interesting to observe dolphins and many marine creatures, and I was happy to recall those memories while playing.
Session Fieldnotes: There was a maze game with ancient artifacts, but I was the first person to play this game and upload it. I was very surprised to see various types of marine creatures throughout the game, and it was good to feel like traveling to California. It’s a valuable educational game.
Puzzles: Matching: Photo Ark
Descriptive notes: By playing this game, learners can know the facts about various animals and learn the animal’s appearance in detail by putting the animal pieces into the right place. It seems to be a game that both children and adults who are interested in animals and various life forms on Earth can play.
Analytic notes: Unlike other games, it seems to be a puzzle game that is not boring and easy to access because it is not divided by levels, but by different shapes. There were a panther chameleon and koalas puzzle games and some information and facts about them. Right after that, there were three shapes of puzzles of Zebras and Parasaurolophus, and I chose the circle shape and played with them. There was no gender, class, race, or violence in this game because it’s an educational game.
Affective notes: It reminded me of my field trip to California when I was in middle school and brought back my memories of visiting there. It was nice to be able to play the game as if I had visited there in person.
Session Fieldnotes: I was the first person to play this game and upload it. Playing different types of puzzle games was challenging and interesting. It’s a beneficial educational game.
Action and Adventure: Space Explorer
Descriptive notes: The Space Explorer game was a great educational game that includes scientific facts about the eight planets in the solar system. When I studied in the United States, I learned about planets and made planets into works of art in ESL class. In those days, it was fun to explore planets from Mercury to Neptune by collecting stars and hearts. There was a rule that requires gathering more than 20 stars to move on to the next planet.
Analytic notes: I think it is a helpful educational game for both students and teachers for learning about the solar system. When the players get 20 stars, learners can unlock facts about the planets which are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Not only the scientific facts about the planets but it was a game where I could enhance my fine and gross motor skills by clicking the background to use the rocket boosters to blast the astronaut up. There was no gender, class, race, or violence in this game because it’s an educational game.
Affective notes: It reminded me of my ESL class in California. Traveling to Mercury, Earth, and Jupiter was exciting. The background of each planet varies, but the game rule was the same collecting 20 stars to move on to the next level.
Session Fieldnotes: It was a helpful educational game where kids and adults can get many facts about each planet and travel to the universe by playing this game. These games were used when I taught, and I created some classes a few years ago.
Funny Fill-In: Scuba Surprise
Descriptive notes: The process of creating an interesting story using various nouns, adjectives, and words was interesting. This process made the fun stories come alive.
Analytic notes: By playing this game, I could think about places, verbs, nouns, adjectives, articles, animals, numbers, body parts, colors, and celebrities. It’s a game for kids and adults to stimulate their imaginations. There was no gender, class, race, or violence in this game because it’s an educational game.
Affective notes: I thought it would be a very useful game to use when teaching reading, listening, and grammar in Language Arts and language classes. In addition, I think it is a necessary game to understand various parts of speech and sentence structure to make sentences.
Session Fieldnotes: While playing these National Geographic games, the most important parts for me to play were concentration, agility, sense of direction, memory, and creativity. I was the first person to play this game and upload it.
Session 3: Video observation | 45 to 60 minutes
Descriptive notes: The player played the game from Mercury to Neptune like me by collecting 20 stars to move on to the next planet.
Analytic notes: There were no comments, so I couldn’t find race, gender, class, and violence, and I couldn’t feel anything negative because it was an educational game where I could know more about the solar system by playing this game.
Affective notes: Like me, I’ve seen the player go through all levels from Mercury to Neptune, and I’ve seen the player travel through space.
Session Fieldnotes: The player was not different from me because by playing this game, learners can explore planets from Mercury to Neptune and know more about the solar system.
The final bridge
By playing these online National Geographic games, I could find that these games are adventure and educational games. Research by Tracy Fullerton (2018) argues that “Educational games combine learning with fun. The goal is to entertain while educating the user. Topics range from reading, writing, and arithmetic to problem-solving- and how to-games. Most educational titles are targeted at kids, but some focus on adults, especially in the areas of acquiring skills and self-improvement” (P. 480). Likewise, these National Geographic games are not only educational but also entertaining to play. There were various topics in each part of this game, and it made me concentrate on topics and play. Even though most of these games are kids’ games, as a teacher, when teaching Language Arts, language classes, and helping with Science homework for learners in various countries, I feel like I can use this platform to help my students learn with fun.
As Fullerton (2018) mentions, games are rule-based, and the goal is for the player to win, but the goal of the puzzle is to find a solution and no opponents. Compared to other games like Space Explorer and Funny Fill-in, puzzle games don’t have any opponents, so I think players and learners seem to have the advantage of being able to enjoy playing games at their own pace without the risk of being attacked by their opponents.
In addition, by playing the Funny Fill-In games, I could use this game to brainstorm topics when teaching Language Arts and language classes. Fullerton (2018) insists on brainstorming as follows. “The Imagineers at Disney are expert brainstormers; it is a part of their company culture. One of the key skills they have developed is asking the right questions” (P. 172).
By letting students tell and ask the right questions for brainstorming, I can draw students’ questions related to the topics and it will create new and helpful ideas for making stories.
After brainstorming, by finding challenges and making the stories fun, learners and teachers can be more creative and productive when reading the stories they made. When learners and teachers are having fun, I think learning becomes more meaningful.
After this process, learners and teachers can make various types of games like puzzles, Space Explorer, and Funny Fill-In games. In addition, Puzzle games can be used for novice learners, and Space Explorer and Funny Fill-In games can be used for intermediate middle and high school students and adult learners. Some features that I would like to see added to these National Geographic games are including various subjects and adding more blanks in the Funny Fill-In games to find out for middle and high school, and adult learners.
I’ve already found out that these kinds of online educational games are useful for learners and teachers when teaching and learning, however, teachers’ and students’ knowledge have advanced considerably these days, so I think more diverse topics related to the National Geographic Games and games for different age groups will continue to be created and studied.