The Infinite Arcade by Tinybop
By Emily Pohlonski,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Design, play, and improve your own arcade games.
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The Infinite Arcade by Tinybop
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What’s It About?
Kids and adults alike can create their own games in THE INFINITE ARCADE BY TINYBOP. Begin by selecting a game type such as pinball, ball and paddle, platformer, maze, or blank template. Then game designers have to decide how to win the game: Will you win by entering a victory portal, gathering all the collectables, killing all the enemies, or simply staying alive? Regardless, when a player's character or ball runs out of lives, they lose. Designers can also choose between characters or balls with different strengths and weaknesses and can create their own characters. After deciding the basics, kids can customize further with sound effects, backgrounds, colors, and messages for winning and losing. By mixing and matching these options, you can create endless combinations of games.
Is It Any Good?
More than simple arcade fun, this game creator is a powerful learning tool because kids define problems, develop possible solutions, test the game, and then come back to make improvements. Each child is empowered by being able to make a lot of choices, and they can build a collection of the games to manage. While kids could hand the device off to a friend to play, the game would be improved by providing ways for kids to digitally share and play each other's games. Also, for kids who are less comfortable playing around until they figure things out, the written instructions might be too complicated since they're written in several languages with lots of text and small print. Since they can input their own win/loss messages, it's a good opportunity to remind kids that good sportsmanship is important online, too, and positive messages are best.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can help kids pause and make the connection that behaving respectfully online (such as positive comments in the games they design) is a lot like being respectful in the offline world.
Talk about the process. How do engineers design solutions for real-world problems? How might that be similar to the process of building a game using the app?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
- Subjects: Science: engineering
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: decision-making, problem solving, strategy, Creativity: developing novel solutions, innovation, making new creations, Self-Direction: achieving goals, initiative, work to achieve goals, Emotional Development: persevering
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Release date: April 4, 2017
- Category: Educational Games
- Publisher: Tinybop
- Version: 1.1.6
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later.
- Last updated: February 15, 2022
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