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Chronotron

Use time traveling powers to recover all of the lost circuits for your time ship. Players will need to stay sharp if they are to succeed in this brain bending game.

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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: Strategy/Puzzle
Platform/Console: Internet
Other Requirements: Adobe Flash Player
LWK Recommended Age: 8+

 

This Game is Good for Kids Who Need Help With:

• Keeping a long term goal in mind (working memory)
• Developing a strategy before executing a complicated task (planning)

What You Need to Know About the Game:

This game starts out simple, but a degree of mastery is required for the later, more complicated levels. Reading is only required for the game instructions.

Controls, game basics, and instructions:
The game character is controlled using the arrow keys or w, a, s, and d. The spacebar is used to enter the time capsule. Entering the capsule teleports the player back to the beginning of the level, thereby creating a "past self" that mirrors the player's moves prior to entering the capsule. Multiple "past selves" can be created and used to trip switches, hold blocks, etc. Controls are also provided before starting the game.

Solutions:

Many free fan-made walkthroughs can be found on the Internet. We suggest you look here http://scarybuggames.com/category/walkthroughs/. Only use this guide if you are absolutely stuck because completing levels unassisted is much more rewarding than following a guide.

This Game Helps Your Kids With Working Memory:

This game is good for kids who display difficulty with keeping a long term goal in mind, because they must:   

• Remember what they need their "past selves" to accomplish. Players often send a past self or two to stand on switches so that the player-controlled character can get the circuit. If the player "creates a paradox" by accidentally trapping a past self, s/he will have to restart the level. It is easy to get confused and lose sight of the larger goal as the player creates paths for his or her "past selves", which is why keeping the long term goal in mind is critical to success in "Chronotron".

Talking Points:

• When were you able to successfully complete a level?
  
• How did remembering the ultimate goal of collecting the circuit help you to successfully map out the actions for your "past selves"?
  
• How is completing a level in "Chronotron" like solving different pieces of the same complicated math problem?

Making it Real:

• Practice recounting an experience in a concise and orderly fashion. For example, ask children to tell you about their experiences at their baseball or soccer game, or what they did during a play visit to a friend's house. Ask questions and give them feedback that encourages them to keep on topic. Make sure that their thoughts are connected and that they do not repeat themselves. These are all component skills of working memory. Model similar descriptions of experiences for them while pointing out that you are reporting things in an orderly fashion.

This Game Helps Your Kids With Working Plannin:

This game is good for kids who display difficulty with developing a strategy before executing a task, because they must:

• Step back and look at the layout of the level before launching into it. As soon as player begins the level, his or her actions are logged and will be repeated after the player enters the time capsule to create a "past self". If the player does not plan carefully, then "past selves" will execute unnecessary, often detrimental actions and the player will be forced to reset the level and try again. Since the goal of the game is to advance as quickly and cleanly as possible, level resets are to be avoided at all costs.

Talking Points:

• When were you able to successfully complete a level on your first try?
• How did developing a strategy before beginning the level help you to accomplish your goal?
• How is developing a strategy ahead of time in "Chronotron" like making a graphic organizer before writing a report or an essay?

Making it Real:

• Construct lists of the steps necessary to complete activities. Many children have difficulty in conceptualizing the multiple steps it may take to complete an activity such as writing a book report, making and cleaning up after a meal, creating a Facebook or MySpace page, or getting ready for a family vacation. It is often best to start with an activity that your child has completed successfully in the past. As he/she constructs the list, ask about rationale behind the order of his/her steps