Educational gaming takes a unique approach in Science Ninjas: Valence
Building a successful educational game is no small feat. Not only do projects run into all the same problems of a traditional game developer, but if they care about the topic they want to educate participants on, the game must be fun while being informative. Luckily, the creators of Science Ninjas: Valence have multiple PhDs, experience in higher education, and a successfully funded Kickstarter between them, to help make their goal achievable.
Science Ninjas: Valence is a card game designed for gamers age 8 and up, where players compete against each other using chemistry based elemental ninjas. Each individual ninja represents a different point on the periodic table, and comes with various properties. These are used and combined to create molecules, which react with other molecules on the board to perform powerful attacks, or other beneficial actions. Using simple math, color coordinating mechanics, and illustrations by New York Time’s bestselling cartoonist, Nathan Schreiber, players must acquire the most molecule points to win the game.
The educational work of Science Ninjas goes farther than just the card game, as developers Schreiber, Dr. Amanda Simson, and Dr. Naomi Klinghoffer host science and chemistry workshops for schools, summer camps, and even birthday parties. These activities are designed to not only entertain, but also get children interested in the world around them through science. In fact this isn’t even the first appearance of the Science Ninjas, as Schreiber created them originally for an educational comic series. We sat down with Schreiber to learn the origins of Science Ninjas, and what some of the future plans may be for him and his colleagues.
Same Room Gaming: Science Ninjas extends beyond just the card game presented on Kickstarter, but also includes comics, and your own live science demonstrations. How did this all begin?
Nathan Schreiber: I was reading a lot of Kishimoto’s Naruto back in 2011, so I was thinking a lot about ninjas. I just wondered what a ninja would look like in a lab coat. That sounds pretty stupid! But I come up with lots of ideas, and the dumb ones crumble apart when you turn them around in your head a few times. Science Ninjas was different. It kept getting stronger, especially when I saw it as more than a story or a comic, but as something that could help kids learn.
SRG: You’ve been recognized as a New York Times Bestselling cartoonist and state that Science Ninjas is your proudest accomplishment so far. What makes you say this? What do you find gratifying about this particular project?
NS: There are so many reasons. First, kids love it, and that’s so satisfying because they will let you know when they don’t like something. And, at the risk of sounding corny, I feel like I’m doing good work, giving kids at least a few tools to get interested in science so they can fix some of the messes our generation has made for them.
SRG: The Kickstarter campaign explains how this game has been thoroughly tested on kids, as it is designed for them to help build on their knowledge of science. How do older players enjoy the game?
NS: We’ve tested it with kids, but the first people I played with were my friends. And they love it for all the reasons kids love it - you build molecules, you attack your opponents, and there’s strategy. And adults love to learn chemistry too! I’ve noticed some adults who were intimidated by chemistry in high school, and then they have this demystifying moment after playing the game when they realize it’s not as hard as they imagined. It’s really gratifying.
SRG: Do you think we’ll see other games from you either educational or otherwise in the future? Could they be about subjects other than science?
NS: You’ll definitely see more games but they will almost certainly be focused on science! I’m already talking with Amanda and Naomi - my partners in Science Ninjas - about the next version of Valence. And after that? Maybe a game about energy, or space, or biology. Who knows? There’s a lot of possibilities with science.
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For a more detailed gameplay breakdown make sure to visit the project’s official Kickstarter campaign, or read the comic series at Scienceninjas.net.
