LearnDistrict

Games that get you Grades! In the annals of gaming history, no genre has more maligned than the educational game. The truth is, all games teach.

It is the ultimate black sheep of the gaming family. The stigma isn’t hard to understand – most educational games amount to little more than ‘gamified lessons’ with little thought towards game mechanics or fun. At LearnDistrict, we’ve fought the Reapers, defeated the British, killed the zombies, and stopped them dirty Blues. There is a misconception that educational games are the only “games that

teach”. Every game from League of Legends to Angry Birds is based on a system of players learning and adapting a certain amount of information to win. If the player is invested in playing, the learning will come naturally. Who says that aliens, knights, pi**ed off furry critters, and super-powered cybernetic warriors can’t teach us real-world knowledge? We say you can have your cake and eat it too (we swear the cake isn’t a lie). Move aside conventional wisdom – it’s time for this black sheep to get some attitude (and maybe a jetpack). FOUNDING VISION

Imagine a world where a high school student’s grades could be improved by a $10 game instead of a $70 book. Students now more than ever are bombarded with all kinds of immediate distractions outside of school. Even in the classroom, they have access to laptops with an entire world of entertainment at their fingertips. Instead of competing with these distractions, let’s embrace them. Let’s give them a game that teaches them everything a book could in a context that appeals to this generation’s growing need for kinetic stimulation. Games and education haven’t achieved a symbiotic relationship because the market hasn’t produced games that actually engage students. As gamers and educators, we strive to find common ground between the stalwart principles of education and the world of gaming. The next generation of learning and gaming is here, and it starts at LearnDistrict.

10/07/2014

The Innovators, Walter Isaacson's new book, tells the stories of the people who created modern computers. Women, who are now a minority in computer science, played an outsize role in that history.

10/02/2014

A big Thank You to Humble Bundle and everyone who donated so generously this week! The bundle raised over $237K, a portion of which will go towards creating a scholarship fund for our campers worldwide. Thank you, for making learning accessible.

09/26/2014

Our Girls Make Games Humble Bundle pack is HOT, HOT, HOT! What better way to bring attention to girl developers and support what we are doing here at Learn District! If you haven't seen the pack yet, jump on over to http://tinyurl.com/c4gtjwn and check it out!

Get up to 7 games with female protagonists in the Humble Weekly Bundle: Leading Ladies!

06/04/2014

The president addresses video games.

Back in 2011, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk gave U.S. president Barack Obama a copy of The Witcher 2, because it's pretty much the best thing Poland has ever done.

05/21/2014

Happy Birthday, Tetris! Our childhood would've be incomplete without you.
So who's going to the party?

"Tetris fans are asked to sign up to the official Tetris page at Meetup.com by May 28, where 10 of the largest scheduled meetups will receive a themed celebration kit."

http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/21/5737488/tetris-turns-30-alexey-pajitnov #

Classic video game Tetris is turning 30 this year, and to celebrate fans are asked to plan and register an event in their neighbourhood for a chance to win prizes for the largest scale...

05/12/2014

We have an exciting announcement! This past weekend we participated in our first pitch contest ever, at the OPEN Silicon Valley Forum and we're proud to announce that LearnDistrict came in 2nd place!

Huge congratulations to the awesome competition winner, Cozymeal!
We'd like to thank the Forum organizers for the opportunity, and the distinguished panel of judges that included Will Bunker (Co-Founder of Match.com and Partner at SVG Syndicate) and Andrew Ogawa (Parter at Quest Venture Partners).

05/01/2014

We love this article's title - Tell your Kids to Play More Video Games!

"It’s an implicit way for them to develop self-regulation skills that then transfer to offline spaces—through having this freedom to create on Minecraft, they learn how to identify and work towards offline goals like finishing class assignments or graduating from college later in life."

Kids can and should use the right kinds of video games to learn.

04/25/2014

Turns out it's World Penguin Day today. Watch through to the end for buckets of awws.

Meet Cookie the Penguin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wTWWjYTe1I&feature=youtu.be

Cookie is a "Little Penguin" and the mascot of the Zoo Bird House. I shot this video while working there as a Guest Keeper for book research and for my blog,...

04/24/2014

We know you like games and learning, how about a summer camp that offers both?!

GMG supporters, we need your help in getting the word out! If you're in the Bay Area, and know a teacher/parent/school admin, please pass this flyer along.

We still have a handful spots left, AND can now offer scholarships thanks to a wonderful donor.

Keep on sharing!

04/16/2014

"The problem people have been thinking about for a while is, how do we make video games that can move you towards deeper considerations?"

"Islamic art has a sense of trying to inspire you to think about higher things. There are very few games that you could describe as sublime.

http://kotaku.com/how-islamic-art-can-influence-game-design-1563714818

Islamic influenced art and imagery has cropped up in games from Journey to Prince of Persia, but now a couple of game developers are out to prove that despite its conspicuous rarity in the medium, Islamic art lends itself brilliantly to game design.

04/10/2014

If you're headed to , be sure to stop by the Indie Megabooth and play some awesome games, including ! We're very excited to be in such good company this year. Bring your friends!

04/05/2014

Happy Saturday! Here at LearnDistrict, we're big fans of Extra Credits and their work.
Check out this awesome episode on Tangential Learning!

This week, we talk about one of the ways games can teach us new things (without being boring about it). Come discuss this topic in the forums! http://extra-c...

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