Monday, April 23, 2012

Recast the Spotlight: Tetris Link: Where a Diversity of Smarts Can Flourish

Improve skills in flexibility, moving objects with your mind's eye, and good ol' fashioned arithmetic  photo courtesy: Techno Source

WHAT: Tetris Link  (NOT a video game- for real)
DOES: capitalize on your strengths as you improve any of the following skills: being flexible, mentally moving objects before moving them in real life, and math skills
INVEST: $26.99 MSRP
TOOLS: Lose and Win Gracefully, Social Scene Helper (if you are great at this game and like teaching), Think Like a Scientist/Engineer (for thinking spatially)



Why the spotlight on Tetris Link?  Today it was announced as one of the five Mensa Select Award winners for 2012.   I have another Mensa Select award that I just love and will be reviewing in the near future with the help of two experts- not just one which is what we usually aim for here ('cause it was a Mensa winner and I was intimidated.)  Additionally, tomorrow's new review will feature a newly named Mensa Select award for 2012.  It must be a Mensa week here. 
So far, my experience with the Mensa Select awardee games has been very positive.  First, I don't see their gold sticker label pasted everywhere and that helps me because I get overwhelmed when there is too much on the menu.  Quite honestly, I haven't seen the list of all their games but it might be safe to say that until yesterday, I only owned one recent awardee game and we really love that one.  But as of today, we own three and I have to say, we really love all three!   Soon we'll publish our next review of a game that you will JUST LOVE and just happens to have been selected too.   And we're going to be giving it away so that will be fun!

Until then, in case you missed it, here is the Tetris Link review.  As I read it over, I can't believe I found this winner on Black Friday floating around in a lone Pennsylvannia toy store without a shelf for a home... probably because they had all been snatched away.......



"Is this for real?" was my first thought when I found a lone box quietly waiting to be picked up in a Pennsylvannia Toys 'R Us on a Black Friday morning.  There were no others in sight.  It might have been the last one or was I seeing things?

Tetris doesn't come in a box!  It's a video game!  Who makes tabletop games out of video games? *  I was about to buy it but I was still in a state of disbelief so I figured I'd research it a bit more before I make an investment.

As I looked into it more, I was able to confirm that I wasn't seeing things.  This game is very real.  In fact, it is a game that was nominated by the Toy Industry Association for "Game of the Year."  Tetris Link is a real-life game that you can play with friends and family.  No batteries, screen, or wi-fi required.  It's just a game with pieces that go down a flat-paneled shoot.  The pieces, called Tetriminoes are brightly colored and are the actual shapes that you play with in the video game.

How to Play this Game for More than One Player

If you are like me, then you have played Tetris but have not played any other subsequent Tetris video games out there.  I think there are a lot.  But the Tetris game in the most original form can only be played alone and it can have another person play with you but only after you "die." I humbly invite anyone to tell me I'm wrong here. I have nothing against kids or adults playing video games at a moderate frequency.  I just don't know a lot about video games because I am bad at them.   I guess that is why I never became a laparoscopic surgeon.

Challenge: Play Offensively with Ever-Changing Variables

Tetris Link makes playing the game with others possible by assigning one color to each player. The task is to get your own pieces to connect with each other and score points.  You can't choose which piece to use because that is decided by the roll of a special die that comes with the game.  You also don't know what your opponent will do and thus the playing field is constantly changing.  The reliable shift in variables requires constant flexibility.  Flexibility is hard to accomplish sometimes in kids. It is probably worse in grown-ups but it's not about us, is it?

Additionally, you can make it so that your opponent has less of a chance to score.  I really like that and I am not a mean person.  I suppose you can manage to play in a less aggressive way but I love how games let you practice taking a swing at your competition in a comfortable non-real-world setting.   A child that is okay with losing a bit can definitely handle this game.  Kids can be as aggressive as they want to be here.  I like that.  Go ahead, give your father a smackdown!


As you can see, yellow had to lose points because of all the empty spaces.


Number 1 can give a good smackdown with this game as it is great for the visual-spatial thinker.  You are not required to make tons of discussion and the rules are fairly clear. You even lose points if you render spaces unfilled and thus you and definitely your opponent are doing math equations simultaneously and spatially. When is the last time you did the same math equation at the same time with someone else?  You should be doing it when you are buying something with cash but who does that now?   Because there are rules with scoring, this game is not as simple as some of the other games I've reviewed but having some rules isn't always bad.  I think in a lot of strategic games, like chess, you can't avoid having a good number of rules.

What Do Strategy Games Do For Number 1?

Well for one, he gets really really quiet.   But I don't encourage him to play strategic games to create a quieter home.  For me, strategic games helps my child practice thinking ahead.  He and many other children need to practice this.

My son asks "what if" all the time and I see evidence of "what if" everywhere around my house.

His thought: What if I opened this pen while I was in the bathtub?

Me: Hey, is that my pen? What are you....?  Did you just break....?!

Him: I was just curious.

Or how about this?

His thought: What if I opened this toy car? Will it show me how the batteries work?  Hey, it just won't open! Maybe I can crack it open?

Me: What's that noise?  (car wheels revving incessantly) Hey, why are you playing with wires?!?!?!


Him: I was just curious. 

I really want my son to be very curious but at the same time I need him to visualize his future moves better.  He needs to be able to see the steps ahead as much as he can.  To me, strategizing can be done with good visual-spatial skills but it's not one in the same.

BUT......... I can use his strong visual-spatial skills to help him practice strategy.  And that is where Tetris Link comes in.

Got an Impulsive Visual-Spatial Kid? 

Those tetriminoes are so simple and the way they fit with each other leave no room for discussion.  They either fit or they don't.  However, being a great visual thinker with such clear cut pieces and graph lines to help you mark their place in space helps your child visualize his next most ideal moves to help him win and protect himself from his opponents.  An unexpected move from his opponent could propel him to once again be flexible and strategize.  This must be done quickly.  This is hard but the motivation is the visual-spatial aspect.  These tetriminoes will likely capture and keep his interest. If your kid likes the video game, think of how he'd feel holding a tetrimino in his hand.


Hear Ye Math Geeks: This One's For You

When's the last time you played a game with negative numbers?  Have you ever?  Yes, some games ask you to tally scores but negative integers are a first (for me at least) and this game will always require at least a little math to be done in your head.   The great part is that in whatever side of the board you are sitting, you will always be able to see your score.  Just like a video game.  That's neat.

This game says that kids can play starting age six.   I think that is a correct assessment even though negative numbers are taught in 4th or 5th grade. Perhaps you may be the first one to explain to your child what is a negative number?  Don't worry.... The negative number problem solving is very basic and kids who like math, like Number 1, feel very proud to do these computations.


So Kids Bad at Math and Spatial Thinking Cannot Play?

Absolutely not.  To me, because this game requires some emotional maturity to win and lose gracefully, if your child is a happy-go-lucky kid, he can benefit.   This is because what he'll bring to the table is his self-confidence to learn while he's likely losing to other kids.  Whenever you play a strategic game with a kid, being able to model winning and losing gracefully is a must.  It takes an emotionally healthy soul to come to the table and say "teach me."  You ever notice that those very content kids have the most friends and you look at them and know that even though his parents are real nice folk, those kids were kind of born with the gift of being socially smart.

Another important note: up to 4 players can play this game and thus someone who is less skilled can still play without messing up the flow of the game.  Number 2 (he's 5) plays with us sometimes and we have an unspoken rule not to play heavy offense with him until he starts beating us really bad.

Don't call me a geek because I dig this box.  Good boxes keep good games playable for years and years.  photo courtesy: Techno Source
Bottomline:

Tetris Link is a game where a various types of kid intelligence (visual-spatial, logical-math, emotional) can come together and have lots of fun.  The game itself comes in a very sturdy box and the game "board" fits very snug in the box.  (I love that! I dislike games pieces swishing around in a box)**.  Keep those game pieces in a plastic baggie and keep them separated when you are putting it away.  That way, when you decide to play, you can just set up quickly and start.  Lastly, if you are presenting this to your kids, I highly suggest that you read the direction first. (You just have to here... sorry, I truly despise reading directions myself).  There will be questions about scoring for sure and you must be ready to answer them.

Also, be prepared.  This is another game where younger butts have kicked older butts.

Bonus:
If your kid likes this game, don't miss out on the history.  Tetris was developed by a computer programmer in Russia almost 28 years ago.  This game is probably three times older than them.   The fact that it was so enjoyed by many and is now sitting on your coffee table in front of you 28 years later will hopefully provide your child a sense that one single person can make a huge impact in the world.  Read about the inventor, Alexey Patjinov: Here



* Number 1 says: Er, Mom, sorry to tell you this but Angry Bird Knock On Wood and Angry Birds On Thin Ice is another real-life touch and feel translation of a popular video game.

**See my post that discusses my techniques in game box preservation.  People might laugh at you but you will have a game with all the pieces and they will be throwing theirs in the garbage.


Disclosure: Toys are Tools has not been compensated in any fashion by the manufacturer or retailer of any of the mentioned products in exchange for the publication of this post.  Techno Source did submit a product for review.  Toys are Tools obtained permission to use the 1st and last photo in this post.  See FAQ regarding links.

3 comments:

  1. I have used this game several times during an OT session with my older kids for visual motor. They can also work on pincer skills, reaching, midline crossing and hand dominance. Sometimes I have had to bring it for the parents to play

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  2. I like any game that incorporates these labels: Lose and Win Gracefully, Social Scene Helper, Think Like a Scientist/Engineer  Those three "labels" really sum up how my daughter thinks/plays.  Thank you!

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  3. Very cool game.  Why haven't I seen it in Toys R Us? 

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