A new party game on Kickstarter makes learning STEM spud-tastic
Remember in science class when you used potatoes to turn on light bulbs? Now, those same spuds have leveled up and have gained the ability to introduce you to the scientifically advanced realm of programming in a brand new party game on Kickstarter.
Potato Pirates is a card game for 3-6 players. The main objective is to collect seven Potato King cards scattered throughout the deck, or have the most out of all players if the deck runs out. Either that or you can eliminate all of your opponents and be the last one left standing. Players can use the cards that they draw to steal each other’s cards, attack one another, and unleash devastating combos to destroy their fleet of spuds and come out on top.
And here’s the neat part. Each element of the game is deeply rooted in fundamental coding concepts. While you’re busy pilfering cards and getting rid of enemy spuds, you’re actually learning different functions that are commonly used in programming. Nothing like tricking unsuspecting players into learning something cool.
Aditya Batura, a seasoned programmer and co-creator of Potato Pirates, teaches programming to children. He was well-aware that learning how to code can be just as hard as teaching people how to code, so he and his team wanted to try something new.
“We wanted as many people to learn this valuable skill [as possible],” Batura said. “We wanted a social medium to bring kids and parents, students and teachers, beginners and experts together to have fun while learning from one another.”
Batura also stressed that anyone who plays Potato Pirates has a gateway into learning real coding languages in the future, using these seafaring spuds as a guideline to start learning.
“We’re trying to develop a universal first step into programming for people from all walks of life—regardless of age or language. Have I mentioned that it’s loads of fun and highly addictive?”
Check out the Kickstarter page to drop a donation.
Topics Gaming
Carlos is a New York-based ecommerce content writer ready to tell you what to buy. He has previously written for Adventure Publishing Group with toy and movie reviews as well as Anime News Network on anime interest articles because liking anime is the least nerdy thing about him. When not reviewing products, he's probably doing sociological analyses on pop culture that no one asked for. He has been told on several occasions that he does a really good Mickey Mouse impression.
