Pick Your Plate! A Smithsonian Museum Game

       I tried to find a Visual Arts based game-and that was tough! I finally found a website the gave you links to museums and their games, and I wound up on the Smithsonian's website where they have a game called: Pick Your Plate! A Global Guide to Nutrition. 

      I thought that this would be a good game to explore for several reasons. First, so many of our children are not aware of recommended portion sizes, nutritional values, and other valuable information regarding their food. Secondly, they would be learning about countries and cultures other than their own, which is a great tie into their social studies curriculum. 

    Once I began to play the game, I found some other educational benefits to it as well. The character "Plato" gives directions and information to the player. He reads what is on the screen, so that students are getting the words visually and in an auditory way. You have a limited budget for each meal, so you have to be careful what you pick! Such a great way to teach kids about budgeting money. 

Game Play

      The game begins with a world map and Plato explains that you can click on one of the countries that has an icon on it. Once you do, there is a loading screen with information about the nutritional pyramid, as well as a fact or two about the types of foods typically eaten in that country. 

      When that country's board is loaded, Plato gives you directions on how to utilize the food pyramid, how to choose the plates of food for each meal, and that you have a monetary budget to spend on each meal. You choose your plates, trying to stay with in budget but also trying to fill up the food pyramid without going over in any particular category. Once you have chosen your plates, you "eat" your food, and then a new screen loads giving you an overview of what you have eaten already. You then go back and complete your other meals. 

     Once you have "eaten" all your day's meals in that country your are awarded a medal for your accomplishments. I definitely got a bronze medal for the first country I visited! But, after playing a few rounds I got a better hang or how to delete food off the table before eating, and how to better balance my monetary budget against the food pyramid. 

Reflection

       I think that this game fits with what the authors of the article, Critical Game Literacies and Critical Speculative Imagination: A Theoretical and Conceptual Review say about "critical game literacies." According to Coopilton (2022), critical game literacies are, "defined as literacy skills needed to play, analyze, modify, and design games in ways that challenge systemic oppression." (p 223).  

       Overall, I think this game ticks a lot of educational boxes for students-they will have to use a variety of knowledge and skills from several school subjects to analyze and play this game: Math, Geography, Social Studies, ELA, and Health to name some.  For starters, students have to add and subtract to balance their food budget. Furthermore, this game focuses on a variety of countries from every continent, not just North America, which exposes students to cultures that are unlike their own as well as giving them information about these countries. Students have to read the directions (while Plato verbally gives them to us), as well as navigating the food pyramid with icons and the types of food they will be "eating." I think students will have fun playing this game, and learn quite a lot that can be applies to real world situations, while also working on their digital literacies skills!