DreamBox Learning®» games for kids

Diversity and Character Design

Ken — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:33:32 +0000

A parent recently wrote us saying “I LOVE the diversity in the characters that the kid can choose to represent themselves…” The writer explained that their kindergarten-aged daughter is of Central American descent and both parent and child are well aware of the lack of diversity in most animated shows, video games, and toys. I’d like to thank this parent for her kind words regarding our efforts and bringing up an important issue. Though this is the only email we’ve received on the subject, she makes a salient point regarding how a majority of cartoon and game characters are depicted in popular media. A brief and rough history of animation will show how the philosophy of character design has been evolving over the years. When studios first started working in what was the “new” medium of animation, they designed very homogeneous casts when it came to depicting humans. It was rare to have any character (especially main characters) deviate from a particular ethnic palette or body profile. When racial groups were included in cartoons, they were mostly unflattering and offensive portrayals. For decades, that’s how it was. Then during the 60’s to the 80’s when television made cartoons more accessible to a wider audience, well-intended attempts were made to introduce more positive depictions of ethnic characters. Examples include Haji from Johnny Quest, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Fat Albert, and Bravestarr among others. Perhaps the most diverse and progressive cartoon cast on TV during this period was the team from the GI Joe cartoon series in the 80s which went as far to include characters that were Eskimo, Samoan, and people of mixed heritage. The show even addressed interracial relationships. Though progress was slowly being made on the television, it wasn’t until 1992 when Disney, arguably the most influential force on character design for animation, released Aladdin and broke from its traditional formula of European-based fairy tale heroes and signaled a shift in corporate thinking regarding what a protagonist should look like in animation. In 2001 the idea of the skinny, pretty princess was challenged by the movie version of Shrek by Dreamworks. And in 2003, Pixar introduced a tale about a single parent of a child with a disability in Finding Nemo, injecting two topics that family cartoons don’t usually tackle. These are positive changes that are relatively recent and ongoing in an industry where long held beliefs of sticking to formulaic plots and characters have dominated the culture throughout the 20th century.

Continuing to Break the Mold in Kid's Games

The DreamBox art team continues in this tradition of change and progress when it comes to our own animated creations. We share the concerns of the parent who wrote us and we are proud of the diversity of the characters we’ve started with. The writer's approval of our avatar designs shows that we are beginning on the right path. As an artist at DreamBox, I approach my character creations and stories knowing how important of having positive depictions of people from a wide variety of backgrounds is to all children. When you take into account that online programs such as ours are accessible to every person on the planet with an internet connection, the importance of having a diverse range of characters isn’t just an ideal to strive for but a fundamental element of design. As the DreamBox universe continues to grow and develop, we look forward to introducing an even greater spectrum of characters. It is our hope that it will allow kids from all walks of life feel more included in the DreamBox world and help them engage with the lessons more comfortably.

For the Love of Yahtzee!

Casey — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:53:06 +0000

I renewed my love of Yahtzee a few months ago, in a little cottage in Hawaii when my husband and I discovered it was the only board game in the place. We were trapped inside at 7pm every night with our three month old baby and spent many hours playing this fun and competitive game. Yahtzee is fast paced, has the chance elements of winning big but also requires strategy. During the long days and nights with an infant it was also perfect because the game plays pretty quickly and can be renewed at any time. Best of all, it’s a game a multi-generational family can play together—helping little ones practice and learn math while still amusing mom, dad, aunts and uncles and grandma and grandpa. Case in point, a Tuesday night of the holiday week, nothing on TV and I am going to go crazy if I have to try to find one more piece to fit in the 2000 piece puzzle on the dining room table. We break out Yahtzee and in no time my niece and nephew (five and six years old) are rolling dice, adding, subtracting, counting up score cards and having a wonderful time.

Yahtzee

How Yahtzee Builds Math Skills

Yahtzee is not only fun but has also been widely described as “quietly educational”. It draws out a competitive spirit—perfect for young boys and their little sisters—as they throw the dice to try to get a full house, a short straight, large straight or three of a kind. Watch them excitedly add up their ‘chance’ score and you know it’s educational. For older kids you can go further with their math skills by asking them to estimate the probabilities of getting various dice combinations and help them strategically assess what their best next move would be. If the game is a little over the heads of your toddlers you can revise the rules to simply play in the order of the scorecard. First everyone should roll to get as many ones as possible (and add them up), then as many twos, and so on. You can also give each person five rolls instead of three for the large straight, short straight and full house. Yahtzee is a great family game, and it does improve math skills. Have your children add up their own dice and scores. And of course put away the calculators! Buy Yahtzee at Amazon.com One other game suggestion for family fun that also requires math: Shut the Box. Six year olds to adults love playing this game. It’s addictive, portable, great for a quick ‘let’s play for 10 minutes while the adults finish catching up’ and a great time—in addition to helping kids practice math.

Shut The Box

Find Shut the Box at Amazon.com.

Creating a Children's Product That is "Magic"

Sarah — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:53:42 +0000

I just got back from a great three day "Dust or Magic" conference run by Warren Buckleitner for people who create children's technology products. (The title is a quote from a 17th century philosopher named Matsuo Basho: "An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.") Guided by Warren, about 65 of us viewed products, learned from each other, and discussed best practices to create "magic" products and learning games that use technology to improve children's lives. And yes, we ALL agreed that children should spend most of their time playing with other children and adults, using real things, and going outside! And we also agreed that many -- perhaps the majority? -- of technology toys and online media are "dust". But, and this is an important but, many products use technology in ways that open up new opportunities for children, and let them learn and explore and play in wonderful new ways. These are the products that are "magic"!

What Makes Up a Good Children’s Learning Product?

How can we make interactive media products -- like DreamBox -- "magic"? Here are some of the key ideas I walked away with:

Let the child be the actor. Whenever possible, give the child control of what to do and create. Examples of this range from providing multiple choices for what to do next, to waiting for the child to indicate when its time to move ahead.
Keep it simple. 'Nuf said.
Make it as open-ended as possible. Just as a blank piece of paper or a box of plain LEGOS inspires open-ended imaginative and creative play, make games that use technology as yet another open-ended tool. For example, in the world of math learning, we can create virtual manipulatives that children use and move to build numbers.