In order to explore as much of the game as I could, I took a break from playing story mode. On the main page there are a few links to analyze the game as a whole unit. From the main page, you can either play the story mode game or play a puzzle. If you choose to play a puzzle, you are taken to a new page with the options of puzzles to play. It turns out that these are puzzles from the story mode game! So it gives you a chance to play a shortened version outside of a story mode. Playing these games will allow you to practice the logical thinking of these games without the pressures of a story that is at stake.

Another really cool aspect of the game is that as an educator, if I add a class to the game as an administrator, I can watch them play the game. I could also track their progress according to the games or standards. If I were to use this in my classroom, being able to track progress is a huge component that would help me to cater my lessons to what the students were doing in the game, or what they were learning in class. We could play the puzzle games together as a class to talk about problem solving strategies. Another thing I really like about the administrator tool is that I can monitor the messages between students and the message board for the class to see if the students are using it appropriately. 

My favorite part of the game, if the “for educators” tab on the main screen. I was not anticipating that there would be so many resources available for teachers. It provides a plethora of information about the game itself, from characters, to the math in the game, to the game handbook, this provides a lot of information that will help the teacher provide context to the game which in turn helps the students to understand the objectives of the game. The creator of the game provides additional resources that educators can use before bringing Lure of the Labyrinth into the classroom. This information allows teachers to plan ahead and be more intentional with the game. The creator also has lesson plans connected to standards that can fit into the curriculum you are teaching. He encourages educators to back off while the students play the game, so that they can struggle and make decisions on their own in order to learn through trial and error. There is also a professional development video to watch. It is apparent that the creator put loads of effort into making this site user friendly for everyone who wants to teach math in a new creative way. 

In the creators bio, he states, “students are experiencing mathematics in a different way than they usually do in the classroom. But they are building strong connections that can be the basis for going further when you bring that experience to the classroom. That’s why we are playing the game first and then connecting that experience to your curriculum is the most powerful way to use the game and the materials in this guide.” He is thinking just like Squire because the students are learning simple concepts in the game that they are able to apply to the real world. As the students are learning, they can refer back to the simulation from the game and make deeper connections that allow them to have a greater understanding of the concepts the educators are trying to get across in the classroom.