Gallery Interactives: From Grizzlies to Polar Bears by Canadian Museum of Nature

Abstract

“Gallery Interactives: From Grizzlies to Polar Bears”. Canadian Museum of Nature, 16 Dec. 2009, http://nature.ca/discover/exm/frmgrzzlstplrbrs/index_e.html. Accessed 14 Feb. 2017.

This short, educational game is designed to teach children about both polar and grizzly bears’ adaptations. It uses matching to allow users to choose between two different versions of an adaptation and drag them to either the polar or grizzly bear side. With the correct answer, a picture demonstrating that adaptation will appear and a box will pop up that explains in more detail the different adaptations. This game is educational in that it provides detailed information explained in simple language. It is also clear the user must drag the answer to a side, and what buttons to press once the box of information comes up. It holds the user’s hand almost too much but does not disrupt interaction. The interactivity of the game is limited because the only decisions users can make are by choosing the answers and if the wrong side is chosen, it moves back to the center. The graphic design is simple, using a muted blue color scheme, simple shapes, and a few static images but it could have used brighter colours or videos with audio to bring the animals to life. There also does not seem to be anything inventive because it is simply a matching game, with only two choices for each of the five levels, three of which focus on appearance. By having some incentive for the user to learn about each of the bears such as a mission or a problem to be solved, or by having more intuitive ways of choosing the answers, it would allow users to demonstrate their perceptiveness, build confidence and give them a feeling of investment in the material. For example, they could learn about the claws/pads by examining a trail of bear tracks. Overall this game is sufficient in its educational purpose but could do more to engage users.

Recommended with reservations: 2 stars out of 4
Reviewer: Ellen Norlander

Ellen Norlander is currently an MLIS student at the University of Alberta and hopes to enter the fields of either health sciences or academic librarianship. Her interests are reading anything and everything, playing piano, and blogging.