About the 'Mirror'language teaching game
Today's teaching games tend to concentrate on themechanics of language. They convey their points using commonplace, everyday objects and actions, with usually unremarkable graphics and illustration that have little purpose beyond helping to convey basic vocabulary and linguistic principles.
But is that really enough? Might not a mythological, fantastical element add an enriching dimension to the primary teaching goal? This is what 'Mirror' sets out to achieve. It is a learning game with soul.
Teaching with traditional values
Ourtechnologized, commercialisedsocietylikes to dismissolder traditionsand values as obsolete, surpassed by rationalism and scientific progress. But the human animal will never be wholly rational; scientific thought does not provide all the answers; it is folly to disregard the qualitative in favour of the quantitative, to give credence only to what our instruments can measure.
So, it is vital to show young children of today the other side of the coin and provide grounding in qualitative sensibilities, without which they risk becoming overwhelmed and desensitised by ubiquitous media and gadgetry. It is to be hoped that young people will ultimately develop into deeper, more complete adults as a result, with a fuller appreciation of immaterial qualities as well as the material world.
The fairy-tale element
Of course, the 'Mirror' game is designed to develop sentence-building skills. But using fairy-tale figures to this end simultaneously opens doors into the realm of mythology, story-telling, archetypes, characteristics such as good and evil, kindness and cruelty, magical powers, and so on.
'Mirror' encourages children to reflect andappraisebefore joining words together, and to develop a vocabulary for expressing opinions and judgements about the figures in the game. Through so doing, they will be equipped to identify and describe similar traits in themselves and in others, and to make according choices in their actions, outer appearance, and more besides. Here is indeed a metaphorical mirror that will be of lasting benefit to those children as they grow, develop psychologically, and progress through life.
Artistic style
The game's look and feel is hand-drawn, organic, detailed, 'analogue' - a deliberate counterweight to the manufactured, sterile, 'digital' aesthetic that is everywhere today. Young children are naturally attracted to 'naïve' illustration. Its nuance and detail present a rich source of raw material to kindle ideas, quicken the imagination, and stimulate a sense of wonder that motivates young minds to explore further.
In summary, this and other games in the series are as much about instilling basic notions and values as they are about teaching children the rudiments of expressing themselves in English.
