Home >> Games & Cards >> Games

Games With a Purpose for Kids

As the Internet grows, games with a purpose are becoming more and more popular. The purpose may be as simple as self-improvement, or it may be a larger purpose like improving technology or even the world. There are a number of these games for more sophisticated kids and young teenagers.

Educational Games
- Learning is a definite way to improve yourself, and it is definitely a worthy purpose for any game. There are a whole host of educational games online; whether it's something like "Sesame Street's Letter of the Day" or "Cyberchase's Number Sense," there is a game to help teach a child just about anything. These are littered all over the Internet, some in places like the PBS Kids games site or other educational sites like Academic Skill Builders.
Fitness Games
- There are some games that focus on getting the gamer off the couch and running around, such as the Nintendo "Wii Fit" system, which has a number of colorful and fun games hidden behind a slightly more sophisticated exterior. These games range from catching things on your head to skateboarding. There are also games which take you away from the computer, like "Cryptozoo," which is an alternate reality game, or ARG, in which players use a device and their imagination to play, and in this case run around.
Technology Improvement Games
- The Internet is constantly evolving, and computers aren't yet as smart as people. However, people turn to computers for answers to a lot of things, and you can help make computers smarter. With games like "ESP Game" and "Phetch," you explore the Internet for images and return those results to the game, which helps teach the computer about recognizing objects. These games send kids on a scavenger hunt across the Internet, while making image searches more accurate.
Real-World Problems
- Game publishers are working more and more on games which force kids to think critically about actual problems in the world, and reward them for playing well. One of these games is "Evoke," an ARG that gives players missions and abilities to help them think about problems facing parts of Africa. Join kids in African states who are also playing, working toward real solutions. In these games, there are also elements of educational games, as players will not only bring attention to these problems, but learn more about dealing with them.

Games