86: Digital Games That Teach Problem Solving


Tara Walker is our guest and she shares with us some digital games that teach problem-solving.

Tara Walker is completing her Ph.D. in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder in Media Research and Practice. Her research focuses on mental illness and health in mass communication. She has been the Instructor of Record for Media Ethics and Law, History of Advertising, Strategic Writing for Public Relations, and Creative Concepts. She has also taught writing and rhetoric classes for CU Boulder’s Program for Writing and Rhetoric.

Tara's a poet and an artist with an MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her book of poetry and drawings, Exquisite Disgust, is available on Amazon. Be sure to visit Tara's website.

Tara explains in this episode why she believes games like these are not a waste of time. All of the ones she mentions include problem-solving elements: puzzles, mysteries, and tasks that involve a lot of trial and error.

Digital Games mentioned in this episode

The Room (1-4) - Basically a digital escape room game
The House of Da Vinci - Similar to the room but with a Renaissance aesthetic. Also time travel.
The Silent Age - more time travel!
Meridian 157 - Point and click problem solver/adventure
Inside- A game for X-box, PlayStation, etc. It’s a platformer game where you are a kid escaping from a creepy bunch of people - lots of problems to solve.
Fake it to Make it - an online game she has her Media Ethics and Law class students play: /)



If you have a high schooler who loves digital games, check out the Visual LIteracy class from show sponsor FundaFunda Academy. This class can be taken as an English 1/2 credit or a 1/2 credit in Fine Arts. It covers not only digital games but other forms of visual media too like graphic novels and movies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

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