Type:Rider

LQ: 9.1

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Brain grade: 9.2
Fun score: 8.9

Game Type: ESRB Rating: N/A Platform/Console: , , LWK Recommended Age: 6+ Thinking Skills Used: , Academic Skills Used:

iTunes, Google Play

 

 

Type:Rider immerses players in an enchanting world of letters, with levels based on fonts and characters such as Hieroglyphics, Gothic, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Pixel, and more. The player controls two connected dots that travel through these histories, jumping, swimming, and climbing across the word. Players must solve puzzles in order to collect the letters scattered about each level, and later they can read about the origin of the fonts they’ve collected and explore those fonts’ presence in our history. Reading skills are not required in gameplay, and Type:Rider can be enjoyed by players as young as six, but children with basic reading skills have more to gain by playing, as they can learn about the origins of the fonts they just explored.

 


THIS GAME IS GOOD FOR KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH:

Flexibility

Adapting and adjusting to changing conditions and expectations

screen568x568 (12)In Type:Rider, the player is constantly exposed to changing circumstances. Not only does the environment change (solid ground to water to anti-gravity pockets), but the terrain can even be in motion as well! Platforms move and objects can rotate, making their use a bit more tricky. Sometimes urgency is not a concern and the player can take her time negotiating the landscape. Other times she'll have to move quickly to outrun foes. By adapting strategies based on the current situation, the player judges the problem and determines an appropriate response.

Additionally, the many puzzles and riddles the player is faced with require creative thinking to solve, as the answers are never the same or obvious. Breaking free from standard thinking, testing theories, and intelligently assessing a situation will help her solve the game's problems with increasing ease.

Self-Control

Managing our actions, feelings and behaviors

screen568x568 (13)Type:Rider can be quite challenging in a number of ways. Firstly, maintaining control over the dots isn't easy, and it can take a lot of effort to get them to go exactly where you need them to go. Dots are connected to each other, which creates a unique challenge when gravity comes into play, as one dot can pull the other in another direction. This means they may not always go where intended, and momentum can make it hard to stop them with the right amount of force.

Players must use Self-Control skills to maneuver the dots delicately and properly, remaining calm in and in control and being careful not to overdo speed. Many of the puzzles can be difficult and tricky to solve, and the player may restart dozens of times before finding the solution. While this is absolutely frustrating, allowing the frustration to grow will only make it harder to execute the controlled and successful movements needed to win. Staying calm, with an "I'm going to finish this!" attitude makes it easier for her to move smartly without anything fogging her mind.

Use this PlayTogether guide to learn how you can help your child turn Type:Rider play time into a positive learning and relationship-building experience. To learn more about why playing games with your children is so important, check out our Science of Play page.

Talk Before You Play

Take a minute to talk with your child about how the Flexibility and Self-Control thinking skills work, and why they are important for success in school and at home.

Set Gameplay Goals

photo 2Type:Rider is a single-player game, but it's easy to play with other people if you take turns between levels. Check out the gameplay goals listed below and team up with your child to complete them.

Gameplay Goals:

  • Earn three "Collector" achievement by retrieving all six asterisks in a chapter.
  • Earn the "Explorer" achievement by finding an ampersand.
  • Earn the "A to Z" achievement by collecting all letters.
  • Unlock the Clarendon level
  • Collect at least one asterisk.

Stop and Reflect

After you’ve played a little bit in Clarendon, take a moment to pause the game and discuss with your child how Type:Rider is exercising your thinking skills.

  • Talk about the need for shifting strategies throughout play. Discuss how the changing terrain, rotating letters and unforeseen obstacles require players to change their approach and think creatively to find solutions. Note that the terrain often moves while playing Type:Rider. How do the anti-gravitity pockets switch up the gameplay?
  • Connect this process of evaluating a variety of problems and adapting strategies in Type:Rider to real-world contexts. For example, you may utilize an after school program for your child because you aren't home until 6 pm. If the program is unexpectedly unavailable one day, you and your child need a new solution if being home alone is not currently an option. When your child makes a play date at a friend's house until 6 pm, she is thinking on her feet -- using Flexibility skills to adapt to the situation and find a creative solution.
  • Ask your child which situations in the game caused frustration. Was any part so hard that it made her angry? Was there any self-talk involved in getting herself to quell the frustration towards what seemed like an impossible feat (like avoiding firing bullets in the Clarendon chapter)? Share some of your own strategies you used in the game to stay calm when an obstacle or puzzle was particularly tough for you. What motivated you to continue?
  • Self-Control is about willing yourself to do (or not do) something, because it's in your best interest. You had to use some Self-Control in Type:Rider to help keep cool, stay in the game, and execute steady movements. Think with your child about which situations in life demand the use of Self-Control skills. One example is texting and driving…don't do it! These skills encourage you to avoid the temptation of grabbing the phone when it chimes. It's important your child understand the danger of low self-control in this situation, so be sure to discuss it and also specific ways to resist the temptation (such as turning the phone on silent or to "car mode" while driving).

Our Make it Work activities are designed to transform your child’s gameplay into real-world improvements in thinking and academic skills. If you’re just getting started with LearningWorks for Kids, we suggest you try all of them to find which are the best for you and your child.

Introduce the Thinking Skills

Read over the pages for Flexibility and Self-Control. Then take some time to introduce these thinking skills to your child.

Explain That:

  • Flexibility is the thinking skill that helps us adapt to new situations, learn from mistakes and change what we are doing in order to deal with different challenges.
  • Self-Control is the thinking skill that helps us manage our feeling and behaviors, control our emotions and stop ourselves before we make a mistake.

Flexibility Activity

Have an upside down day. Transform everything in the house from morning to evening. Have chicken, salad, rice, and vegetables for breakfast and cereal and milk for dinner. Wear pajamas during the day and sleep in jeans and a T-shirt, all the while laughing and practicing being comfortable with this unusual routine. Simple exercises like this may seem odd, but that’s the point; the goal is to get your child to become comfortable with different or unexpected scenarios.

Self-Control Activity

photo 1Relax, relax! Sometimes the most important thing that an adult (or child) can do when they are frustrated or angry is to take a break from what they are doing. When talking about relaxing, it is not simply getting away from something, but actually doing something else that will reduce stress for a brief period of time. Know what relaxes your child and be willing to use this tool if you feel that your child will not be able to control himself effectively. Be careful not to use this strategy so that your child avoids the situation that he needs to deal with. For example, if your child is becoming overly frustrated with his math homework, have him take a break to watch SpongeBob, and then return to complete his work. But leaving his math homework to watch television without returning to complete it allows him to avoid learning how to handle his frustration

Reading

photo 3Although the use of reading is not required to make progress in Type:Rider, learning about the fonts encountered in the game greatly adds to the overall experience of the game. After completing a series of levels on a particular font, the player can explore that font even deeper by reading about its history and presence in the world. She can take a little break after all the hard work needed to progress and catch up on interesting and enlightening content that references the world and objects she just interacted with. From the first rock paintings, to the letterpress, to the typewriter, and beyond…Type:Rider has a world history of typography to share with players curious enough to explore.

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