10 Geography Games For Learning (Across 6 Different Platforms)
Can your North American students locate Iraq on a map of the world? If the answer is yes, then they are in the minority according to a National Geographic survey.
The same survey found that 20 percent of young Americans think that Sudan is in Asia, and 48 percent think that the majority of the population in India is Muslim.American students consistently fall short when it comes to knowledge of geography. In fact, the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress rated less than a third of American students proficient in the subject area.
Educators in traditional and online schools can help boost the numbers by ensuring that geography is exciting and fun to learn, a feat that is made easier with the right tools. Here are nine educational geography video games for enlivening your lessons and raising your students’ geography IQ. While not as up-to-date as many of their math and science counterparts, it’s a start, yes?
ClueFinders: 4th Grade Adventures(PC and Mac)
由学习公司制作，Cluefinders是为8至12岁的儿童设计的教育软件集合。在4年级的冒险中，孩子们解决了谜题并收集线索来阻止邪恶的考古学家。游戏涵盖了许多不同的科目，因此，虽然地理不是其唯一的重点，但在美国各国和城市以及世界各地的一些主要城市都有学习活动。
GeoCycle USA(PC and Mac)
Targeting students 8 to 12 years old, GeoCycle, from EdVenture Software, invites players to travel across the U.S. on a flying GeoCycle. The game helps build map-reading and navigation skills while teaching states and their capitals, as well as rivers, deserts, bodies of water, mountains and some well-known sites. The game includes photographs and simple maps that help younger children become more familiar with the U.S.
GeoGuessr(Browser)
Developed by Swedish IT professional Anton Wallen, GeoGuessr provides visuals from around the world using Google Maps’ street view. The game shows an unidentified scene and invites players to guess where it is by placing a marker on a world map. Students can make guesses based on terrain, road signs and other clues, and score points based on how close their guesses are.
GeoNet(Browser)
Meonet是由Houghton Mifflin社会研究制作的在线游戏，邀请玩家选择美国地区或大陆，并在各种主题上测验玩家，包括空间信息，物理和人类特征，物理系统，人类和环境等。这个网站的一个很好的特点是，当问题被正确回答时，一个气球会出现有关该主题的更多信息。
我喜欢美国(PC and Mac)
专为6至9岁的儿童而设计，我喜欢美国的全球软件出版，邀请玩家找到“乔”，谁将在美国周围的线索离开了。游戏具有许多互动功能，例如提供帮助信息，交互式天气移动和各种测验和谜题的火车。玩家可以访问主要地标，跟踪全国范围内的天气，并学会通过形状识别各国。
学习地理学（任天堂DS）
Produced by DreamCatcher, Learn Geography offers a challenging way for students to learn about countries and people all over the world. The software includes educational quizzes and a number of mini games such as City Search and Paint the Flag, but its central game is a global treasure hunt, in which players solve geography clues that tell them where to fly next.
使命可能的世界地理（PC和Mac）
Designed for ages 12 and up, this game from EdVenture features a spy theme. Players have to answer world geography questions in order to advance to the International Weather Research Base to save the world from global warming. Questions appear in multiple formats, and the primary focus is the location of countries, states and capitals, major cities, famous sites, and some topographic features.
National Geographic Challenge(Nintendo Wii)
From Ignition Entertainment, National Geographic Challenge uses the format of a game show to explore the world through geography and history. Best suited for multiple players (up to four), you can choose your level of difficulty. Stunning videos and rich educational content make this a visual and intellectual feast.
国家地理：儿童地理游戏(Browser)
全国地理网站较少且具有更可达的平台，且具有更可达的平台，为儿童提供各种游戏，其地理部分在各种主题上大约有十几个。特别推荐的是刘易斯和克拉克向西，有球员在探险期间有助于做出决定，并与他们的日志有关的更多信息和摘录。
世界上的桑德戈在哪里？(PC and Facebook)
Supervillain Carmen Sandiego经营着国际犯罪戒指，从Encore Software中获胜这个游戏的玩家可以帮助恢复赃物。玩家遵循与世界各地的50个国家有关的线索，并可以用谜题挑战自己的挑战。这款游戏专为8-12岁而设计，现在在Facebook上播放，使其成为在线学校的好选择。
Gaming has become a vital part of the modern classroom, and with good reason. Students respond favorably to gaming in any setting and can become motivated to learn when the right educational video games are introduced. Use these video games to motivate, inspire and engage your students as they soak in valuable geography knowledge.
Margaret Brewster is a freelance writer and non-profit consultant. She is a contributor at onlineschools.com.
