Game Logic: Level Up and Create Your Own Games with Science Activities for Kids

Build it Yourself

by Angie Smibert, Lena Chandhok (Illustrator)

What was the last game you played? Video game, board game, world building game?

In Game Logic: Level Up and Create Your Own Games with Science Activities for Kids, middle schoolers take on the world of games by figuring out what makes them challenging, fun, and addictive! Kids love games. Board games are still wildly popular, despite the profusion of video gaming devices that reach audiences as young as toddlerhood. World-building games such as Settlers of Catan and Dungeons & Dragons are played by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, both online and in living rooms, and gaming conferences occur around the globe, including hundreds in the United States alone. This makes gaming a perfect backdrop for learning new skills!

This book takes kids on a journey to discover the history of games, and then leads them from their initial idea for a new game through several iterations of a game all the way to playing the final version of a game they created. Educators use games as a way to introduce logic, collaboration, and persistence in classrooms, and Game Logic is the perfect companion. Kids explore the processes of both playing and creating games while developing critical and creative thinking skills that apply to tasks and concepts across academic fields.

Game Logic includes hands-on STEAM activities and critical thinking exercises related to games. Fun facts, links to online primary sources and other supplemental material, and essential questions encourage readers to dive deeper into the games they love to discover what makes them tick.

Nomad Press books integrate content with participation. Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and STEM Education all place project-based learning as key building blocks in education. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.

Genres: Science

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2019

About the author

I was born in Blacksburg, a once sleepy college town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. I grew up thinking I wanted to be a veterinarian; organic chemistry had other ideas. But I always had stories in my head. Eventually, after a few degrees and few cool jobs—including a 10-year stint at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center—I wrote some of those stories down.

I'm the author of several young adult novels, including MEMENTO NORA, THE FORGETTING CURVE, and THE MEME PLAGUE. I’ve also published many short stories, for both adults and teens.

You can also catch me blogging as part of the LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY WRITERS (leaguewriters.blogspot.com).

www.mementonora.com
www.angiesmibert.com

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game Logic is useful for STEM teachers and anyone interested in the history of games and how to create them. Six chapters delve into various games and provide a great foundation for understanding the variety of board and tabletop games. 31 pages of activities complement the text which is full of helpful information and advice. Activities vary from making your own cards with block printing, comparing modern board games to mobile app versions, modifying role-playing games, and designing a legacy game. Books, magazines, and web sites are suggested. A table of contents, a timeline, and an index are included. QR codes are abundant. Game Logic is part of Nomad Press' Build it Yourself series, which is the most practical STEM series I have used for third through eighth graders. Strongly recommended for elementary and junior high school students.