Diane Brauner, who writes the Perkin’s Paths To Technology blog, asked me about which games were best for teaching grid-like concepts.
She wrote: “I really like Blindfold Search, Blindfold Word Biggle and Snakes and Ladders; however, these games do not encourage spatial concepts and mental mapping as the locations are not labeled and students are randomly moving through space without truly identifying where they are in space. Snakes and Ladders is closer to knowing where you are (as the game tells you the number of your spot and players have perimeters because they start at 1 and go to 100). However, players do not know where the ladders or snakes are unless they land on a ladder. Mental maps are not developed with this game, as the players do not have enough spatial information and they do not need spatial information in order to be successful with the game.”
Diane suggested that I create a 3D Tic Tac Toe game. Quoting her, “Tic Tac Toe is very easy. I used to challenge my students to play a mental game of 3D tic tac toe. Ironically, my blind students quickly learned the game but my sighted friends had trouble getting the 3D part!”
Blindfold 3D Tic Tac Toe is now available. It’s played on a 3 row by 3 column by 3 level board, and you can get three-in-a-row on any of the levels, or between levels, such as the same position on each level, for all three levels. For example, the A1 slot on the top level, middle level, and bottom level.
You can vary the skill of your computer opponent based on how many moves “ahead” your opponent looks, and at the higher skill levels, it becomes quite challenging to win.
Blindfold 3D Tic Tac Toe in the App Store.
By blindfoldgames