Game to learn

If your kids love playing Pokemon Go, turn the addictive game into a learning opportunity. TANG MEI LING & STEPHANIE YEO get tips from the experts.

Never has a game created this much excitement among people of all ages, from preschoolers to grandparents. Around the world, gamers willingly fanned out of their homes and took on the walkabout roles of Pokemon trainers Ash, Misty and Brock, who hunted Pokemon in various environments in the immensely popular TV animated series of the 1990s. The craze has gripped Singapore since early August, but as your kids go out to “catch them all”, as the tagline goes, why not use it to teach them useful lessons along the way? Here’s how.

Geography

Kids start to be more aware of their surroundings as they navigate their way towards lures and Pokestops. “The concept of distance, the shortest path and fundamental map-reading skills can be easily visualised and explained (by parents) while playing the game,” says Albert Tan, Singapore’s Cybersports & Online Gaming Association adviser, and Nanyang Polytechnic’s assistant manager (Academy of Lifelong Learning and Skills).Albert, who believes that map reading is a life skill, explains: “For example, visiting different Pokestops to maximise the collection of goodies will challenge a player’s logic in route planning.”

English

Like any other game, players need to figure out game objectives and game mechanics, says Billy Shum, managing partner at venture catalyst firm Stream Global, and former president of Neopets Asia, a virtual pet community. While Billy feels that using games designed specifically for entertainment are not (naturally) good vehicles for education,they do have side benefits.

He explains: “Players need to master those ‘skills’ in order to be good at the game, so the game does encourage logical thinking, planning and reading (such as FAQs or Wikipedia pages).” Some parents have found that their kids learn new vocabulary. Benedict Koh, 50, an engineer, says: “I was impressed when my 12-yearold talked about Pokemon ‘spawning’. That’s a word I would relate to the eggs of fish and frogs!”

Maths

You know how golfers take along a scorecard on the golf course? Well, make one for a scheduled Pokemon Go hunt. Create a simple table based on a one-hour Pokemon Go gameplay experience. Get the kids to record, for example:

• How many Pokemon (new or not) individual family members catch

• How many Pokeballs are “lost”

• Points for good Pokeball throwing skills Have them turn it into a graph or chart at home. It will earn the deserving players some bragging rights, too!

Science

“During battles, water-type Pokemon are effective against fire-type ones. Fire-type Pokemon, on the other hand, are weak against water, but strong against ice and steel. The fire-versus-steel topic can lead to the concept of material science – of how metals are shaped by blacksmiths and how water can be a conductor for electricity,” Albert explains.

The game also teaches kids about life cycles, too. “Evolving Pokemon is an important process in the game,” he adds. “Some of the Pokemon actually go through the same life cycle of real insects.” For instance: Weedle > Kakuna > Beedrill Caterpie > Metapod > Butterfree “These can be interesting introductory life-cycle information for kids,” Albert says.

Good for bonding?

Some parents have also found that Pokemon Go creates good bonding experiences. “To bond is to spend quality time with your children, attending to their thoughts and ideas, and imparting your values,” says Geraldine Tan, director and principal psychologist of The Therapy Room. “On the surface, the game appears to be a great way of connecting and sharing an activity.

But looking deeper, do you want your child to focus on electronics, to walk, or to collect Pokemon? What are your intentions? They need to be clear. “In the past, people collected all sort of things, like stamps and coins. Now, we collect Hello Kitty or Star Wars memorabilia. We move with the times and, perhaps, this is a virtual form of collecting.

As a hobby, it’s fine, but it should not be stressful.” However, watch out for signs of addiction. “Addictive behaviour is when the conversation is dominated by (the activity),” Geraldine explains. She adds: “(It’s when) the child is unable to function without having his ’opiate’ when he wakes up, or before he sleeps.

No other activity is good enough and he may exhibit aggressive behaviour. “Another telling sign is when he puts himself in danger, like impulsively dashing across the road, or refusing food so as to level up in the game. Sleep is foregone or has to be forced. The activity starts to permeate all aspects of his life.”