Inspired by the White House’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign, the Joan Cooney Ganz Center issued this challenge: design a mobile app that engages kids while teaching them the STEM skills: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Developers were invited to enter prototypes to win the National STEM Video Game Challenge, with a prize of $50,000 towards the production of their final game.
There’s another prize that’s up to you: the People’s Choice Award, which brings the winning project $25,000. There are many great game prototypes entered, featuring a huge array of gameplay and skills. Among the entrants you’ll find Sci-Heroes Save the Day, a prototype I created with my friend, the awesome artist Tim Goldman.
Sci-Heroes Save the Day will be the first in a series of apps that teach science using science fiction. The science games will be embedded in a comic book story, and completing the game will be essential to furthering the story. The evil Dr. Spectacle is using her super-charged glasses to wreak havoc on the city? Maybe a smoke screen will stop her. To the lab! Here’s a video of the prototype, and you can try it for yourself on our website.
I hope to make this game a reality with lots of great activities, animation, and sound design, so help a GeekMom out with a vote, won’t you? And while you’re there, send some love to the other worthy entrants. Bringing any and all quality STEM games to market is a good thing.
