It's easy to miss the complex problem solving and spatial reasoning needed to complete Portal because the game is so engaging. But even though Portal will be four years old next month, its physics-based puzzles still require critical thinking ꧟way beyond today's average first-person shooter. That's probably why some classrooms, like The Evergreen School♊'s seventh grade, have chosen to use Portal as a learning tool.
Valve recently invited the seventh graders to take a field trip to its studios where teams of three learned how to use the Hammer level editor and create their own rooms in the game. For educators the trip was a great way to bridge the gap between the math and physics being taught in the classroom with examples of real-world professionals using those skills to create amazing things. For Valve it was exciting to see their software being used in such a positive way. In fact, th🍰e company was so happy with the trip that they documented the trip with a short video and made Portal available for free until September 20.
Sep 16, 2011
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