Category Archives: Educational Games

Explore curriculum through Educational Games.

The Book of Distance

In 1935, Yonezo Okita left his home in Hiroshima, Japan, and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed everything—he became the enemy. Three generations later, his grandson, artist Randall Okita, leads us on an interactive virtual pilgrimage through an emotional geography of immigration and family to recover what was lost.

The Book of Distance blends techniques from mechanical sculpture, film, and stage to redefine personal storytelling in virtual reality. Family archives add a haunting layer of realism. 2D and 3D hand-crafted sets reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints, evocative character design, and seamless choreography combine with surprising moments of interaction to gently whisk us across the ocean and through the years.

Curricular Connections

Immigration Stories
Social Studies: Canada’s policies and treatment of minority peoples have negative and positive legacies.
Social Studies: Historical and contemporary injustices challenge the narrative and identity of Canada as an inclusive, multicultural society.

Gameplay Length

30 minutes

Player Comfort Level

Moderate

Walkthrough of Program

Website

The Book of Distance on Steam (steampowered.com)

Cost

Free

The Dawn of Art

Humanity’s first masterpiece was created 36,000 years ago in Ardèche, France. Within Chauvet Cave lies thousands of drawings – traces of our past – enclosed forever. The Dawn of Art is a VR experience, including both an immersive film and a virtual visit of the cave that invites you to meet your prehistoric ancestors, the first humans who ventured in a deep subterranean world and left their marks preserved on the walls.

Curricular Connections

Art: Individual and collective expression can be achieved through the arts.
Art: The visual arts provide opportunities to gain insight into perspectives and experiences of people from a variety of times, places, and cultures.

Gameplay Length

Approximately 20 minutes

Player Comfort Level

Comfortable

Walkthrough of Program

Website

The Dawn of Art on Steam (steampowered.com)

Cost

Free

CAPCOM GO! Apollo VR Planetarium

This Planetarium was constructed to celebrate the launch of Apollo 11, NASA’s first mission to land humans on the moon. It is a state-of-the-art facility with the latest opto-mechanical starball, film projectors and the first ever holoscope! Take a seat behind the control desk and use your VR controllers to explore each console.

Your planetarium comes equipped with the ability to watch eye-popping trailers and full-length immersive films, alongside enjoying a tour of the stars including themed constellation artwork slides.

Includes trailers for the following NSC Creative planetarium shows:

CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story
We Are Stars
We Are Aliens
Astronaut 3D

3 full-length planetarium shows are available as DLC:

CAPCOM GO! The Apollo Story (Paid)
We Are Stars (Paid)
ISS 360° Tour with Tim Peake (Free)

Curricular Connections

Science Grade 6: The solar system is part of the Milky Way, which is one of billions of galaxies.
Science Grade 10: The formation of the universe can be explained by the big bang theory.

Gameplay Length

Under 30 minutes for 1 option
30 minutes – 1 hour for extended viewing

Player Comfort Level

Moderate

Walkthrough of Program

Website

CAPCOM GO! Apollo VR Planetarium on Steam (steampowered.com)

Cost

Free

VR Ocean Aquarium 3D

A simple game geared towards younger students to introduce them to marine life as seen through the mask of a scuba diver. Students will see the names of different fish and sea animals as they get closer to them. When you approach a fish, the movement will be slower so that you can closely examine the details. You can show your fish-hunting skills as well in one of the spear fishing options. The game mechanics are pretty easy and there are 8 different levels included in the game. This game is downloadable from Google Cardboard and for use with mobile headset viewers.

Curricular Connections

This game is geared towards younger learners learning about ecosystems and marine life.
Science- Biology-Plants and animals have observable features.
Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems.

Gameplay Length

15 minutes to explore the sea and try at least one of the games.

Player Comfort Level

Comfortable

Walkthrough of Program

Website

‎VR Ocean Aquarium 3D on the App Store (apple.com)

VR Ocean Aquarium 3D – Apps on Google Play

Cost

Free

InCell

Students studying science can explore a colourful, microscopic world within the cell of a human body and can play games associated with saving the cell from destruction, and outrunning a virus wave in this science based VR game. The game combines strategy and science in a highly unusual boldly-coloured micro world of the carefully recreated human cell. It can increase in difficulty and provide a challenge for students. It is recommended to sit down whilst playing this game. This game is available for download from the Google Cardboard app and for use with smartphone headset viewers.

Curricular Connections

This game can be played to introduce older high school aged students to learning about the body in biology or science classes.
Science-Biology- Multicellular organisms have organ systems that enable them to survive and interact within their environment.

Gameplay Length

This game can be played for 15 minutes as an introduction activity to engage students and provide a visual backdrop to their learning experience.

Player Comfort Level

Comfortable

Walkthrough of Program

Website

InCell VR (Cardboard) – Apps on Google Play

‎InCell VR (Cardboard) on the App Store (apple.com)

InCell VR on Steam (steampowered.com)

Cost

Free

Cleanopolis

Cleanopolis VR teaches students all about their ecological footprint and how they can improve it. This science app positions students as heroes against climate change as they assist Captain Clean in ridding the city of Cleanopolis of its CO2 cloud. It also includes quizzes to test their knowledge. For download on android and iOS phones from your app store. For use with smartphone headset viewers.

Curricular Connections

Social studies-We shape the local environment, and the local environment shapes who we are and how we live.
Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
Science- All living things sense and respond to their environment.

Gameplay Length

15 minutes per student as a part of a rotational activity or at the beginning/end of a lesson should suffice for exploring the different cities in the app or trying out one of the quizzes offered.

Player Comfort Level

Comfortable

Walkthrough of Program

Website

Cleanopolis VR for Android – Free Download (appsdrop.com)

‎Cleanopolis VR on the App Store (apple.com)

Cost

Free

Wizard Academy VR

This app is specifically designed to teach students about science and math subjects like algebra (Fire Archery), physics (Ice Fortress), and even germs (GermBuster) in an inventive way whilst gaining points and progressing in levels. The app offers fun challenges — shooting giant germs, for example, or destroying ice castles — and as with other VR experiences, it also allows students to hone their hand-eye coordination, spatial recognition, memory, attention, and focus. This game is available for download through the Google Cardboard app and for use with smartphone headset viewers.

Curricular Connections

Physics-The motion of objects depends on their properties.
Math- Development of computational fluency in addition and subtraction with numbers to 100 requires an understanding of place value.
Science- Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
Multicellular organisms rely on internal systems to survive, reproduce, and interact with their environment.

Gameplay Length

You could allow 10-20 minutes per student to allow everyone a chance to try it out at the end of a lesson revising the science or math topic you’ve covered in class.

Player Comfort Level

Moderate

Walkthrough of Program

Website

Wizard Academy VR – Download Game for Android and Apple | TapTap Discover Superb Games

Cost

Free

The VR Museum of Fine Art

Welcome to The VR Museum of Fine Art, one of Steam’s finest art galleries. Surround yourself with 1:1 scale sculptures and paintings! Feel free to explore the artwork however you see fit. Roomscale VR lets you walk around, duck under, and even hug the life-sized figures.

The initial release of The VR Museum includes 15 high-fidelity sculptures, and more are coming. In addition, two famous paintings are included, scanned and rendered in crisp detail. In future releases, both collections of sculpture and paintings are sure to expand. The artwork is arranged thoughtfully into four exhibits, each with its own theme.

Curricular Connections

Exploration of Art and History in a museum style
Identity is explored, expressed, and impacted through arts experiences
The arts provide opportunities to gain insight into the perspectives and experiences of people from a variety of times, places, and cultures

Gameplay Length

Students could choose a few art exhibits to examine in under 15 minutes
Students could freely explore the museum for up to an hour

Player Comfort Level

Comfortable

Walkthrough of Program

Website

The VR Museum of Fine Art on Steam (steampowered.com)

Cost

Free

Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft

Dagon is a 3D narrative experience in madness based on the cult short story of the same title by the master of cosmic horror and weird fiction, H. P. Lovecraft himself. It’s an interactive portal into the world of the controversial genius and his highly acclaimed Cthulhu Mythos, open to both newcomers and long-time devotees. Step into the shoes of a former ship officer and morphine fiend, and dive into the Stygian Abyss of a drug-addled mind. Uncover the unspeakable, long-drowned horrors on a distant eldritch island and wallow in Lovecraftian dread.

Curricular Connections

English Language Arts: The exploration of text and story deepens our understanding of diverse, complex ideas about identity, others, and the world.
Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.
Language shapes ideas and influences others.
H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu Mythos: Discover the original story, the author, and the impact on culture

Gameplay Length

30 minutes

Player Comfort Level

Moderate to Intense

Walkthrough of Program

Website

Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft on Steam (steampowered.com)

Cost

Free

Curatours – Museum of Plastic 2121

Museum of Plastic 2121 is the first museum tour available on Curatours! Built 100 years from now in an imagined future where things have worked out well for the planet and for humanity. Visitors uncover the story of plastic – its history, science, industry, and impact on our environment. They will learn the importance of establishing a circular economy and find out how activism and individual action happening now will lead to positive change in the future.