A Few Geography Games to Enjoy in the Classroom

Looking for an different way to engage your students? Try computer games.

These games are free to play on a computer and offer students a another way to interact with content. The games below are geography themed that let students explore land use, disasters, and life in less developed countries(LDC). In a  two hour block near the end of the school year, my students* tried them out. Here are some of the things they had to say.

Electrocity
http://www.electrocity.co.nz/

"Fun game! I really liked it a lot and have fun playing" - Sasha

Lizard Point Quizzes
Geography and Humanities
http://lizardpoint.com

Stop Disaster
http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html

"The game was very fun and interesting but it also brought along with it many challenges and difficulties. I enjoyed the game even though I did not succeed in my goal of building a natural disaster proof city." -Will

Ayiti
https://ayiti.globalkids.org/game/
 
"This game made me sad whenever I made people work through sickness or struggle in debt, but I understand that it is a real life issue." -Sara

Crisis of Nations
https://www.icivics.org/games/crisis-nations

 "The game is based on the leadership of a nation during times of crisis and the tactics used by nations to resolve global issues." -Dan


*Student names changed.

 

June 2015 Games of the Week

By Margaret Duncan, Ed.D.

The Histocrats support the idea of incorporating board-games into your personal life as well as in the classroom.  As such, we support and participate in a local board-gaming group.  Any and all board-game enthusiasts are welcome to join the Game Nights that are held every first and third Friday night of the month.  As part of our gaming group initiative, we also recommend history centric games that are fun to play each week to all of our followers.  The selected games receive our “Game of the Week” distinction.  Recommended games are a mix of cooperative, card games, as well Euro style games.


The People's Choice: A Presidential Card Game
This Game features personalities, interests, management style, defining moments, and legacy. Learn unusual and interesting facts about the leaders of our country while enjoying the dynamic of putting "your" president up for election to see if he wins.









Lords of Scotland Card Game, Z-Man Games
Do you have the audacity and cunningness it takes to be crowned king?  Recruit new soldiers and build your army in order to face your rivals, only then will you be strong enough to try and fight! Prove your worth in merciless skirmishes and your opponents will have no other choice then to bow down to you as their leader. Do you have what it takes?










Vikings Board Game, Z-Man Games
You are the leader of a clan of Vikings. You are tasked with the scouting and settling of undiscovered islands off the coast of the mainland. To expand your territories and clan, you will need to master the game's clever rotating wheel. The price for islands and Vikings will change as players acquire more of them. The game will be tense until the end and you will need to protect your islands against the ships that sail on the horizon. Are you the leader whose clan will rise above the others?






London, Mayfair Games
London lies devastated after the Great Fire of 1666. This is your opportunity to build a new city on the ashes of the old. It is up to you how you employ the talents of the people of London to this end. Will you favor the business classes, who will earn you money? Or would you prefer to spend more money than you can rightly afford on grand monuments and sumptuous palaces? You must also deal with the problem of rising poverty and the how to employ the many paupers of the city. Throughout the game you will be forced to make tough decisions. To achieve one aim you must sacrifice another, which may open an opportunity for a competitor.

 *All product descriptions are from the manufacturer