Months passed without relief and despair set in, spurring the desperate Lydians to implement an unusual solution. Life was organized according to a two-day schedule, where they fasted on the first day and played games to distract from hunger, while on the second day they ate and abstained from play.
Herodotus writes that the people lived according to this pattern for eighteen years, survived the famine, and invented some of the games that we enjoy today. Three thousand years later, we stand to learn much from the Lydians. Games might be a timely balm as we grapple with our own social crisis.
Also, digital games can simulate vast navigable virtual spaces, an attractive commodity when access to real world space is restricted. But, unlike the Lydians, we already have tens of thousands of games ready to go, many of which have been designed to dissolve physical distance. As we adjust to a prolonged sojourn in the great indoors, the games included here may help ease the burden of confinement.
Players can draw comfort from bridging distance through online collaboration, traveling the virtual world, sharing struggles, or getting a daily fitness fix, all without having to step outside. Players can anonymously write short letters to share their struggles or respond to others with supportive words. After the tutorial, all letters and responses are produced by real people. This little game with a big heart seems ideally suited to our current circumstances as it transcends space with its anonymous virtual network that encourages positive interactions, mutual comfort and support.
Not surprisingly, many recent letters address social distancing issues which grant ample opportunity to connect on the foundation of shared experience. Journey is a striking work of video game art where a player traverses a surreal desert landscape as they make their way to a distant mountain. The soothing soundtrack, austere expanses and calming rhythm of play are a powerful antidote to the doldrums of social isolation.
The best part is that you are not alone. At every level, one might encounter another anonymous player with whom they can exchange magic scarves and form a temporary alliance. Journey is a powerful metaphor that binds inward and outward voyages, but perhaps the most relevant message it delivers is its persistent reminder that less is more.
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Check to see. We can remove the first video in the list to add this one. We can remove the first show in the list to add this one. More More. Explore PBS Parents, a trusted source for information on child development, early learning and expert tips on raising children. PBS Parents. Daniel Tiger Birthday Party. Part of the inspiration for Robot Turtles was to create a game where parents and kids could come to it at their own level; the parents do one thing and the kids do a different thing.
Any programmer will tell you that coding a computer is more than entering lines of instructions. Debugging until a solution is found is similar to the 21st century competency of design thinking: trial and error based on a challenge.
The child then has to make the decision to debug and to change. Here, failure becomes iteration. The ability to undo the last move — with no penalty or loss of points — where you just try something and then try again, really gets into the heart of the educational mission of the game. Subscribe to receive weekly updates of MindShift stories every Sunday. Search-Icon Created with Sketch. KQED is a proud member of. Always free. Sign In.
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