Registration at the Purpose Games site was simple and straightforward.
There is a fair amount of extraneous stuff at the site and users might need to be cautioned about what to click on and what not to, especially on public computers. I wasn’t sure if the green “download” button on the front page meant I needed to download something in order to play. I didn’t since experiment as I’m at a public computer.
That said, I forged ahead. I will admit that I wanted to see how easy the site was to use “cold” I chose not to use the FAQ section until AFTER exploring the site. Although I found the FAQ site to be generally helpful as it seems to address questions most users might have. (I didn’t find an explanation of how to open and start the various game types which I would have found useful.) Once I did open a game, it took me moment to spot the START button and begin.
I played a recognition game in which players were to identify the 50 states on a blank USA map. I did well on all states save those few tiny ones on the East coast that are smaller than some of our Nebraska counties. I also looked at one or two games asking questions about the Dewey Decimal system and two that asked users to identify famous libraries from photos. (There are some GORGEOUS libraries in the world.)
The concept is simple and creating a game does stretch the mind, in that you should think carefully about how to phrase questions if making a multiple choice quiz, which I did. I’m going to try the shapes quiz later on.
I liked Maria’s idea of engaging her teen advisory board. I believe that Purpose Games and the creative element would appeal to teens. I can see Purpose games being used to create simple library “orientations” or to create fun quizzes for book groups to use for different books they are reading.
The truly creative could probably figure out how to create a quiz or two to market library services or to educate library board/friends groups about the library and its services. The “crafty” among us might even be able to use it for outreach to county commissioners or city council members at budget planning time with a quiz or two showcasing statistics, services or financial woes/successes during the last fiscal year.
A major concern is that I suspect that Purpose Games is inaccessible to users with visual disabilities or who have disabilities that affect fine motor skills for example. (Accessibility and the use of technology is an issue that is a growing part of my job and could easily be the topic of another post – so “nuff said.”)
I enjoyed exploring Purpose Games and may try to use it in a course I’m developing. The game I created can be found at this link. Library of Congress Classification System Quiz
Susie Learns 2.0 