Big Thinkers (video game series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Thinkers! |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genres | Adventure, Edutainment |
| Developers | Humongous Entertainment |
| Publishers | Humongous Entertainment |
| Platforms | Windows, Macintosh, Steam |
| First release | Big Thinkers! Kindergarten October 21, 1997 |
| Latest release | Big Thinkers! 1st Grade October 21, 1997 |
Big Thinkers! is a fun and educational video game series made by Humongous Entertainment. It stars two super-smart siblings, Ben and Becky Brightly, who can magically change into anything they want! This series has two main games: Big Thinkers! Kindergarten and Big Thinkers! 1st Grade. In both games, your main goal is to collect special stars.
The idea for Big Thinkers! came from Jonathan Maier, who also helped develop the games. There were plans for a third game called Big Thinkers! 2nd Grade. It was supposed to come out in 1998. However, making three games at once was too much work. Also, the first two games didn't sell as well as hoped, so the third game was never finished.
Exploring the Gameplay
In Big Thinkers!, you get to interact with Ben and Becky. They often appear as different objects. You explore a house and play sixteen mini-games. Each mini-game helps you earn "Smart Stars." These stars come in five different colors. Each color stands for a different school subject.
Learning with Smart Stars
The Smart Stars help you learn about various topics:
- Red Smart Stars: These are for reading and English skills.
- Yellow Smart Stars: These focus on art and creativity.
- Green Smart Stars: These help with thinking skills and understanding shapes.
- Blue Smart Stars: These are for math and counting.
- Purple Smart Stars: These teach about physical science and social science.
When you collect many stars of each color, you get a chance to play a longer mini-game. If you do well, you earn a special, larger orange star. This star wears a square academic cap, like a graduation hat! In the First Grade game, it even wears sunglasses.
Different Games, Different Skills
Many mini-games appear in both Big Thinkers! Kindergarten and Big Thinkers! 1st Grade. But the games are different in each version. The layout of the house you explore is mostly the same. However, in Big Thinkers! 1st Grade, the woods area is replaced with a garage.
Big Thinkers! Kindergarten helps kids learn important skills. These include understanding measurements, spelling words, and recognizing letters. The game teaches math, language arts, science, social science, and creative arts. It follows the national learning standards for kindergarten students.
