The dictionary definitions are stored locally, and because it's ad-free there's no need for a network connection. Dictionary is ideal for both native English speakers and English learners or people studying the English language. Still under construction at press time: an escape game and Indiana Jones-inspired game that combines ancient mythology and treasure-hunting.Dictionary is a free offline English dictionary containing over 200,000 words and definitions and no ads. The banyan tree in this Game On room was made by set designers from Cal Shakes. In the Arcadia Room, a banyan tree created by set designers at Orinda’s Cal Shakes creates a spooky backdrop to a ball game, reminiscent of the arcade game where balls are thrown into concentric circles. In one of them, which resembles a Rube Goldberg machine, a player spins an elephant to push a bar, which traps a ball in a cup, which another player has to lift and get the ball up over the elephant, where it has to be caught by a spring-loaded plunger that shoots the ball into a goal. Credit: Joanne Furioīall Game is a room with two different ball games. Other games require physical strength, like the Endurance Room, where players climb across hanging ropes to avoid falling into “hot lava.” Players must move from rope to rope and not fall into “hot lava” in this Game On game. Success is based on the number of times players accomplish such moves.Ĭeramic mole levers in the Whack-a-Mole-inspired game. Instead, roots that light up indicate which hole moles should pop out of while the “whacker” presses mole-shaped buttons according to their teammate’s position. Some of the games are inspired by arcade classics, such as a Whack-A-Mole variation in which players become the moles (but are not whacked in the head). Audio instructions are broadcast upon entering and vary depending on the number of players. Mittler, “the software guy,” according to his partners, has a specialty in cooperative learning and psychometrics.Įach game has its own unique set of challenges, which can be mental, physical or both. Hopkin, whom Alley called “the great visionary” behind the games, is a computer scientist and puzzle expert. Alley has experience in education and business. The founders’ backgrounds seem ideal for such a venture. “Mainly I’m trying to do things that are fun and encourage people to cooperate.” “I’m trying to instill the virtues of discovery and teamwork and grit as part of the outcome of your experience at Game On,” Hopkin said. Teams of two to four players must work together to solve the games’ challenges. What all the games have in common: a need to cooperate. Each of the six game rooms now in operation (with more to come) combine the critical thinking and physical dexterity of hands-on science museums like the Exploratorium and Lawrence Hall of Science, which were inspirations, with the sensory experience of an art installation. Game On is a new concept in gaming its owners believe is the first of its kind in Berkeley and possibly in California. Six years in the making, Game On is now open on a limited basis and will open completely to the public in December. Now Alley has joined two of his childhood friends from Berkeley, James Hopkin and Eric Mittler, to turn the former playspace into a gaming center for adults. When Alley sold the company in 2016, the new owner closed the Berkeley location, but Alley kept the lease. “Kids who are in junior or high school grew up in this place,” said Tim Alley, Studio Grow’s founder. Studio Grow grew from its original Berkeley location to three others in the East Bay. Credit: Joanne Furioĭuring its 11 years of operation, Studio Grow was a drop-in, educational playspace that saw a generation of Berkeley children pass through its doors. Tim Alley and James Hopkin inside a game inspired by Whack-a-Mole.
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