PLAYBOOKS: FOR THE INTERNET

Bloxorz

Guide a rectangular block to the exit of 33 increasingly mind-bending levels.

Game play alone results in modest improvements in real-world executive skills. Please refer to our Playbook Tutorial, general coaching and comprehensive guides to transfer game skills to sustainable real-life behaviors.

QUICK FACTS

Game Type: Puzzle
Platform/Console: Internet
How to Find It: Bloxorz
Other Requirements: Adobe Flash Player
LWK Recommended Age: 6+

 

 

This Game is Good for Kids Who Need Help With:

• Sticking with a frustrating task until it is complete (goal-directed persistence)

What You Need to Know About the Game:

Reading ability is required for the instructions. This game becomes rather complicated in later levels, so good problem-solving skills are helpful.

How to find it:
http://www.addictinggames.com/bloxors.html.

Controls, game basics, and instructions:
The block is controlled using the arrow keys. The object is to guide the block to the hole in each level. The more intricate aspects are explained before the game begins.

Solutions:

Many free fan-made walkthroughs can be found on the internet. A walkthrough for levels 1-5 can be found here, and levels 6-10 can be found here. More walkthroughs can be found by going to www.youtube.com and searching “Bloxorz Walkthroughs”.

This Game Helps Your Kids With Goal-Directed Persistence:

This game is good for kids who need help with sticking with a frustrating task until it is complete, because they must:

• Guide the block through increasingly difficult levels. After the first few introductory levels, the player will rarely finish a level on the first try. New levels add different types of switches and floor blocks. Some switches require the block to be standing upright to activate them. Similarly, some floor blocks will collapse if the player stands them upright.

Talking Points:

• When were you able to beat a level after failing on multiple attempts?
• How did maintaining a steady effort help you to figure out a level and eventually beat it?
• How is persisting through a level in “Bloxorz” like learning a difficult musical passage or figuring out a hard problem in your school work?

Making it Real:

• An accurate assessment by you and your children of their skill levels for a particular task is also important for sustaining their effort. It is important to identify tasks that children already display the capacity to complete and then build upon that. For example, children may be able to help with the chore of putting the clean silverware away. After they have successfully mastered this skill, then perhaps they can be given the task of putting the dishes away, as well. Similarly, assembling a toy or piece of furniture that requires the use of hand tools can help give children some experience in using these tools in other settings. Asking children for an accurate description of their capacities for using tools or having displayed particular skills in the past will be important. This is likely to give them a sense that they will be able to complete the task. Ask your child to describe things that he/she can do “now” that he/she could not do one or two years ago. Areas such as math, sports, and self-care are fertile topics.