I chose to experiment with the online game “Lure of the Labyrinth” because it is a puzzle game. According to Jordan Shapiro, author of MindShift Guide to Digital Games + Learning, puzzle games often have patterns embedded in them, which is the trick to solving them (pg 24). These types of games are my favorite because I may struggle for a while attempting to solve the game and therefore crack the pattern. I am about to begin exploring the game for the first time.
When I search the game, this is the main screen that appears, and I already have questions. This game seems a bit dark, so I wonder if it is a mystery game? Should I make an account? How I would connect this to class content? There is no music on the home page, but maybe there will be in the video or in the game itself.
As soon as I create an account, there is a sharp noise as a new screen pops up. This reminds me of Minecraft, along with many other online games I have played, in the sense that the main screen has the “play the game” that leads you to the main game that is a story mode, and the “play a puzzle” that leads you to a (I would assume) shorter game. After playing the game for a while, I have discovered that this is a long-term game that has many different options and missions to solve. There is a lot to work through and figure out, as well as many options to what you can do in the game. It is all about choice, strategy, and discovering patterns. Time to continue exploring, stay tuned for more updates!
Educational Technology in the World | Rachael Leininger 
I love puzzle games. I think I would use this in my classroom as a problem solving game. This could be added in your lesson plan and use it as a center. I think students would also like this game. When I looked at it I also wondered why there was not music at the beginning since most games do have music to introduce the game. I also do not love that you have to create a log in for the games. I think this is annoying- but I know it is so you can save your progress. I think long term games are good for students when they go home since they could not necessarily save their progress. Unless, all the students had their own devices in class. However, the shorter game might be beneficial for centers or when students are finished with an assignment with some extra time.
I think I might even play this game myself. It seems really entertaining, I would also recommend this game to my brother who loves video games. I also played a game that was more of a problem solving game and I thought it was super entertaining. I would even connect these two together.
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