Drake's Pirate Challenge is a type of casual or hyper casual game that helps children to learn as they play.
This is a class of game that can be played quickly and easily without any tutorials, and can generally be played in short bursts. These types of games are often free, but normally require players to earn in-game rewards through watching ads, or to purchase game-currency (gold, gems, etc.) that are used to unlock features, upgrades or level progression.
Our philosophy with Drake's Pirate Challenge is to keep the same instant entertainment that comes with casual gaming, but engaging with the players to complete educational tasks to earn rewards instead of monetising rewards.
Gamification of learning takes an educational task and adds a layer of 'fun' to it. Many apps do this well, like Times Tables Rockstars where learners can earn skins like they would in a game. But children often still see these as, first and foremost, a homework task.Â
Educatification of gaming flips this dynamic around. Starting first and foremost with pure gameplay, the educational tasks become supplemental. The player is motivated to complete the educational tasks in order to progress in the game, therefore learning appears much more as a secondary activity to the player and the game remains a game, not a homework task.
And that's because it is. This is not meant to replace pure learning or gamification of learning. This is supplemental. Children should have fun and play games, but rather than play mindless casual games that purely monetise children playing the game, this is an alternative that seeks to benefit the players rather than profit from them.
Our gameplay model is comprised of 4 core elements:
- Pure gameplay that has no direct learning value (i.e. motivate players to play)
- Pure gameplay that indirectly encourages thinking (e.g. aim for the largest value)
- Pure gameplay progression hurdles (i.e. motivation to earn upgrades)
- Upgrade learning challenges that implement game-style player interaction