[kidsgames] SMLUC on Kidsgames

[cwaddell@mail.orion.org]

Hello,
Here are my notes from the Nov. 23 Meeting, in Springfield
MO of the Southern Missouri Linux Users Club.

Kids know what they want.

By content, Jeff means Facts we want kids to know.

By games, he means Code and Interface.

*********************************
Rolpher the Gopher Game

This game idea is a grocery store.  You make a list and come
in, then you pick up your items.  At the checkout, it is an
addition game.  You add up you items and pay Rolpher.  
**********************************
Science Experiments

This game idea will tell you how to do experiments at home,
and allow you to do more difficult or dangerous ones in
simulation on the computer.

Rolpher has feet, he is not a stick figure.  He has a brown
pig nose, 2 dog legs, people looking hands.  He is all
brown with floppy dog ears.  He has 2 teeth like a rabbit.
White teeth that hang out in front, buckteeth.  His tummy is
like a real gophers, big and round.
 
********************************** 
Build it NOW

Use blocks to build pictured models, or your own creations,
such as a helicopter or plane.
**********************************
Dress up
in the theatre or church 
a place to dress up and do plays--write scripts and do plays

Japaneese Kiss?

**********************************
A building/planning game with cars and soldiers.

**********************************

Lobbying Questions

Do we want to ask software companies to port current
kidsgames to linux??

Well, whatever, but the focus for the group at the meeting
was writing and promoting well written and well thought out
games.
**********************************

We discussed using stickers to teach science concepts.  For
example, putting together a spider or building a pulley
system to lift a large object.

*********************************

xjig will take any gif and make it into a puzzle

we would like to see any picture format supported.

**********************************
We do not like repeated talking.

For example,   "Are you ready to play with Elmo?  Elmo is
waiting for you."

every 30 seconds is Annoying.
*********************************
Can we build voice activated games??

Would k voice control help with this??
*********************************
Jeff would like to see major skill level scaling-- to the
point of being the Grocery Store Manager in Rolpher

(In my opinion, how scalable a game is will be left up to
the individual writer and how they think.   I do not think
we will have the same games for teens as elementary kids.)

**********************************
Logo

Jeff's idea for logo, is to have it set up with simple
controls, such as go right, go left, go up, turn, etc.

This will draw on the screen, kind of like spiralgraph or
turtle.  
At the SAME time, the code for creating this picture will
appear in a window next to the drawing.  We hope that the
users will get tired of the simple controls, and move into
programming.  An early foundation in basic programming logic
should help them move into other programming languages.
*********************************

Jeff thinks we have code people, and we need content people.

Art content  -- describe what you want
Action content 
Science
Math 
Language Arts
History
Animation
etc.
We would like a leader in each area.

People who do quake are also needed.
*******************************
Animation tools
What do you know about gimp & blender?

********************************
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Put your kid's ideas on this list!!!
*********************************
We do want to trademark leading characters.
*********************************
These ideas are from about 10 people, including 3 kids.  I
apologize for taking so long to get this on the list.  

We will do our best to IRC future meetings if possible.

Celia Waddell
cwaddell@mail.orion.org
(417)767-2214


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