What's going on everyone?
So my website has been up for about a month now and some of the feedback I have received has been around access and cost of technology. So I have been looking for more games that are free to play and easy to access. This is not easy as I am trying to stay away from games that are superficial.
So it was great when the team behind the game 3rd World Farmer reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in making a lesson out of their little game about the hardships of farming and poverty (You can find the lesson here). I was a little skeptical at first because a lot of free web browser games are, in my opinion, pretty bad. After playing a couple of hours of 3rd World Farmer, I saw that there is a real educational benefit from the game even though it is much smaller than the games I am accustomed to playing.
While 3rd World Farmer is not as grandiose as some of the other games I have made lessons for, it is a nice little game that was clearly made with a lot of heart and good intentions. The team at 3rd World Farmer works with a number of organizations and relief agencies that help people around the world.
In 3rd World Farmer you are tasked with managing a farm, but the odds of success are very stacked against you. The game focuses on proper management of your money and where you allocate your funds while also preparing for challenges like disease and drought.
I have not taught this lesson yet, but when I teach about the Dust Bowl again next year, I will definitely be having my students play this for a day. While I would personally use it when teaching about the Dust Bowl, as you can see in the lesson plan, it can easily be modified to fit a number of topics. If any of you end up teaching with 3rd World Farmer before me, please let me know how it went!
So this is the first lesson I made where a developer actually reached out to me about a game they made. I did not know about 3rd World Farmer before the creators contacted me. Going forward, I will always make it abundantly clear when a lesson is being made at the request of someone else. Transparency is extremely important to me and I want to maintain the integrity of my website. (Note: I am not receiving any money for making this lesson).
As always, check it out and feel free to send your thoughts my way.
Thanks for reading,
Zack