You should have been at Games Expo, they had a an entire range of
educational seminars, for all angles (retailer, manufacturer, and educators).
Many of the games were great educational value games.
Several I would suggest (whose names I remember because I came home with
them);
This is a CCG styled games, where the characters on the cards are based on
the elements from the periodical table. The numbers used in the mechanics of the
game are various numbers from the table (electron valence levels are shielding
levels against attack, for example). It is 100% a hobbyist game, pure ccg. Also
it is 100% an educational game. Even the graphics are great, most metals are
metallic creatures, more electrically conductive metals often have electrical
arcs in the picture.
Which is a great simple math game. Each player is dealt nine cards, which
include numbers and operators (parentheses are free to anyone to help build
equations). Then two cards are pulled and placed on the table face up. They
players are then try to make an equation that equals that number. Each card is
scored; positive if laid down and negative if in the hand at the end of the
game. It is Rummy with math.
This company also has some great word games.
There are parts to super heros (head, torso, and legs) on cards. By
drawing cards there the players build super heros. Each part has a number value,
which are totaled for the power of the super hero. there are villain cards as
well, and each has two values (easy and difficult level games). If your heros
total has a greater value then the villain, you can capture them and take them
to jail. There are other rules for the method of getting new parts and making
new heros, but I do not recall all of them off the top of my head.
A tile game in which each player takes turns placing a title. The gaol is
to have any line of title equal 24 or 7. Lines cane be vertical, horizontal, or
diagonal. Simple, easy and quick to learn.
Trivia game, which has a junior version that ask random question dealing
with comic super heroes, and other popular culture, for the enjoyment of the
game.
I really did not expect this to turn into a mini-review. So I will stop
there. But there were many more that were great games, some just purely fun,
others with great educational value.
Thanks
Fred Poutre
Cloven Fruit Games