Web Courseworks Stops Traffic: Releases Gridlock Buster to Casual Game Sites
Madison, WI, June 28, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Web Courseworks announced today the release of the educational game Gridlock Buster to the online casual game market. Soon to be available on www.Kongregate.com, the traffic control game was originally developed for The Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute (ITS) at the University of Minnesota to raise interest and awareness regarding the transportation and engineering field among young adults.
Gridlock Buster was programmed in Adobe Flash by Joe Rheaume of Chronotron fame. His Chronotron casual game has surpassed 10 million Internet plays and has received numerous awards. Joe said casually, “This game [Gridlock Buster] may not generate as much traffic as Chronotron, but it might inspire a budding engineer.”
In Gridlock Buster, the gamer is an intern at the Central Bureau of Traffic Control who has just been promoted to help control the traffic congestion in the city. The gamer must efficiently control the flow of traffic or else risk irritating the town’s commuters and losing his job. As the game progresses, rush hour traffic starts, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to alleviate the busy streets.
The Flash-based traffic simulation uses game mechanics and instructional design to foster learning in an innovative manner. The hybrid of educational and casual gaming is challenging the stereotype of boring educational games. The game approach provides learner engagement as serial challenges are presented and overcome gradually.
“The hope is that gamers will become interested in learning more about transportation engineering. It’s a lot more fun than a typical online tutorial because it places learning within the context of a storyline and a challenging goal. It should drive traffic to other educational resources, including the U of M ITS website,” said co-designer Andy Hicken.
Gridlock Buster is already available on the University of Minnesota ITS website and will also be used by high school teachers in conjunction with an interdisciplinary curriculum developed by David Glick, of Glick Consulting for ITS.
About Web Courseworks:
Web Courseworks, a boutique eMedia company with offices in Madison, WI & Washington DC, is led by Jon Aleckson. The eLearning company of eighteen people specializes in transforming static face-to-face lessons into engaging online learning activities. Web Courseworks’ close-knit team designs and develops custom Flash-based learning games and simulations for corporate training, K-16 education, and non-profit outreach. The company has recently entered the association LMS market with a hosted learning management solution called CourseStage.
Contact: Jon Aleckson
Twitter: @jonaleckson
Email: jonaleckson@webcourseworks.com
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Gridlock Buster was programmed in Adobe Flash by Joe Rheaume of Chronotron fame. His Chronotron casual game has surpassed 10 million Internet plays and has received numerous awards. Joe said casually, “This game [Gridlock Buster] may not generate as much traffic as Chronotron, but it might inspire a budding engineer.”
In Gridlock Buster, the gamer is an intern at the Central Bureau of Traffic Control who has just been promoted to help control the traffic congestion in the city. The gamer must efficiently control the flow of traffic or else risk irritating the town’s commuters and losing his job. As the game progresses, rush hour traffic starts, and it becomes increasingly more difficult to alleviate the busy streets.
The Flash-based traffic simulation uses game mechanics and instructional design to foster learning in an innovative manner. The hybrid of educational and casual gaming is challenging the stereotype of boring educational games. The game approach provides learner engagement as serial challenges are presented and overcome gradually.
“The hope is that gamers will become interested in learning more about transportation engineering. It’s a lot more fun than a typical online tutorial because it places learning within the context of a storyline and a challenging goal. It should drive traffic to other educational resources, including the U of M ITS website,” said co-designer Andy Hicken.
Gridlock Buster is already available on the University of Minnesota ITS website and will also be used by high school teachers in conjunction with an interdisciplinary curriculum developed by David Glick, of Glick Consulting for ITS.
About Web Courseworks:
Web Courseworks, a boutique eMedia company with offices in Madison, WI & Washington DC, is led by Jon Aleckson. The eLearning company of eighteen people specializes in transforming static face-to-face lessons into engaging online learning activities. Web Courseworks’ close-knit team designs and develops custom Flash-based learning games and simulations for corporate training, K-16 education, and non-profit outreach. The company has recently entered the association LMS market with a hosted learning management solution called CourseStage.
Contact: Jon Aleckson
Twitter: @jonaleckson
Email: jonaleckson@webcourseworks.com
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Contact
Web Courseworks
Jon Aleckson
608-824-8900
http://www.webcourseworks.com
Jon Aleckson
608-824-8900
http://www.webcourseworks.com
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