PlayCrafter

 PlayCrafter is an online site (still in Beta) that allows you to create your own flash games free of charge. Most games are geared towards mathematics and physics, which use angles and simple machines to complete different tasks to get to the next level. Students are able to create games depending on the assignment, ranging from crafting a game geared towards deep understanding of thought processes when discussing angles, or high-level thinking in regard to how to complete a task within a particular game. The website has games that are user-generated ranging from action, puzzle, shooter, adventure, racing, and everything in between. It has a great help section that includes video demonstrations, as well.

PlayCrafter allows students to build their identity on their site, as well. They can earn "points" by trying new games, leaving feedback, inviting your friends to join, and creating games in general. However, when researching what sort of rewards one can earn with points, the creators state, "We are still working out what kind of treats and special rewards your points can earn you", which leads me to believe that they may offer rewards such as premium account access or new options that you can redeem your points with. All is yet to be seen, though.

On a side note, although PlayCrafter is free, there are premium accounts that allow various degrees of interaction and different usability platforms. For example, a free account will allow you to create 10 levels in a game, but a premium account gives you access to 100 levels ($4.95/month or $44.95/year). A premium account will also give you access to post your games to flash sites other than PlayCrafter, as well as the ability to upload your own game pieces, music, and no ads. If this is for educators, however, the free version works fantastic.

As you can see in the videos below, there are many different options that can be completed in PlayCrafter which include different science and mathematics subject areas. Physics teachers may use this site for students to better understand the laws of motion, gravity, and general understanding of how the world acts and creates on it's own. Mathematics teachers, in particular trigonometry teachers, may find that this site is a great way to introduce angles to the students, especially if you pose to them the idea of finding a game on their own that represents different mathematical ideas.  __PlayCrafter Game Creation media type="youtube" key="CDVIozqywbo" height="405" width="500"

PlayCrafter Games Available__

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__PlayCrafter How-To media type="youtube" key="U8d__1_Qp9Q" height="405" width="500"__

__ Inquiry__ Completing different tasks to better their understanding of a mathematical and scientific world, discovering games that could be used to align with the current unit of study, self-discovery of scientific and mathematical theories through the use of different games or creation of own games.  __Construction__ Angles, visual mathematical equations, creating a game through the students' eyes in the world we live in, editing the game after constructive comments are left.  __Communication__ Live chat, leaving comments, how the student views the world they live in today through a self-created game, constructive criticism left by fellow players in comments.  __Expression__ Personalized game pieces, specific colors and backgrounds, earning points for things they'd like to reward themselves with, personalized gaming through the students' eyes, 100,00 games to play within PlayCrafter itself to choose from. 

__Strengths__ Students have many options to play with, especially if they'd like to play pre-created games from other users (The site boasts 100,000 games already created). Creating a new game is very easy with many different how-to guides available, including visual videos for further clarification. Students find out if the game is successful or not right away with the preview/play game button availability, which gives them the option to go back into the game and recreate it if it's not working correctly. Students are held accountable for their work through the community, therefore if they get bad reviews they may have more intrinsic motivation to do a better job building a game. Their free version of the site offers a lot of different options without paying any money. There is a lot of accountability within the game, especially with peers. It gives the students the ability to be creative with their work in a variety of contexts within the scientific and mathematical communities, something they may not realize.

__Weaknesses__ There are some inappropriate games for elementary school students, however, middle school and high school students would really enjoy the personalized aspect of the game. There are a few items that aren't worked out on the site, such as how to spend your points you earn. The site utilizes Flash ; something many people believe is going to be a thing of the past (I could not use it on my iPad) and many school districts are not always up-to-date on their software, something I would be weary of when choosing this site. If you wanted to view students games they would have to show them to you personally, simply because you can not embed them into one site, something that may be a hassle when it comes to grading them.