ABSTRACT
Edutainment was a popular buzzword during the 1990s as video game culture grew. The dream of using video games to provide educational value has been chased by many developers over the years. Edutainment also faced the challenge in public schools of teaching to what was known as the “common core.” The common core, first created in 2009, was a set of state-defined standards for teaching K–12 students in terms of English and mathematics. Zoombinis bucked the trend of other edutainment titles at the time it was about engaging the player with gameplay instead of schoolwork. The bright graphics and crazy situations helped to mask the fact that children were learning critical thinking skills. The use of camps on the map allowed the player to recover lost Zoombinis sometimes and complete an unfinished group. Every design decision was meant to keep children invested in learning and be rewarded for it.
