Nightspade's Stack The Stuff and Application Potential in Education

Stack The Stuff is a new game that started making me addicted. Addictive because the game system is similar to Cut The Rope, where you must arrange all sorts of school supplies tools (ruler, pencil, pencil sharpener, eraser) to be balanced and can reach as many stars as possible. The special thing was the game that is universally available for the iPhone and iPad (and also be available for Android) was made ​​by Indonesian mobile game studio based in Bandung, namely Nightspade. Nightspade, which recently gained funding from the East Ventures, indeed have the specialization to make a game on the mobile platform.

Stack The Stuff can downloaded for free and after several levels (multilevel models such as Cut The Rope or Angry Birds; 1-1, 1-2, and so on), you'll be given the option to purchase (in-app purchase) the full version for $ 0.99. There is also the option to make donations (also in the app). I think this option is very effective because they don’t need to make two versions of the game, lite and full. Stack The Stuff seems to get a broad response globally and included in the list of New & Noteworthy in the App Store in many countries. It also earned high ratings.

Back to the topic of the title I gave, it is true Stack The Stuff is not devoted as educational games. But by using school equipment and simple logic of equilibrium, it’s very reasonable if I discuss Stack The Stuff on the educative side. For the early elementary school age, a game like this can certainly help to foster understanding of the school equipments that need to be prepared and of course how to generate equilibrium associated with natural science (or physics for that in high school). With a view like this veiled, learning would be more fun.

I try to discuss more generally about the educational applications. In my knowledge, market educational applications or games for mobile-based education in Indonesia still don’t have much demand. Looking at the diagram presented by Distimo when they survey 300 most popular iPhone applications in various countries, the actual potential of education-based applications and games, both in the USA and in Asia, has been great. Education is ranked even higher than the paid applications for Social Networking which is believed to be more popular.

One local education-based application that has been discussed at DailySocial is Kieeds, which tries to capture schools as a business partner. I think the market is still wide open. Isn’t it the biggest state budget allocation for education? Isn’t the cost per year that always up beating the inflation rate is the cost of education? Surely there are ways to get this delicious cake; of course in condition it has an application or game that is loaded with quality and pedagogical elements.

One of the reasons why iPad having a hard sale can, of course other than "wow" and "style" factors, is the availability of a variety of applications and educational games that are beneficial for children. iPad is not just for adults but also fun and rewarding for children. My son is about one year old and very fond of iPad, he always asked me to fiddle the iPad for him. Wether it just watching cartoons to the interactive learning A-B-C-D games (in English of course). Unfortunately, of course, no one could help him understand all the new things in the Indonesian language.

I look forward to the application from local developers who can later help my child learn a variety of words, counting, and singing children’s songs, all in Indonesian. Furthermore, it would certainly be nice if applications or games for a tablet can help students to learn interactively with an attractive visual communication. Anyone dares to make a Student Work Sheet (SWS) in an application platform and cooperate with the publishers?

Of course, applications and games like this is not all about serious stuff. Like Stack The Stuff, a game with brains and logic were certainly going to be a challenging thing. It takes lots of creativity from the local developers to create this sort of thing, but that's an important element for improving the quality of education in the country. Applications and games for education sector is a necessity, not just pleasure.